The Flight of the Jay
by Lightningfire.star
Summary: "The Clans will tumble like stones falling off a cliff. Pine needles and dark streams will unite, and create chaos. Only the jay will be able to save the Clans. But beware, even birds can fly a bit too high." (Updates once a week!)
1. Prologue

**Hi everyone! This is my first fanfic, I really don't know if it will turn out good or not. The story takes place a few generations after SkyClan left the old forest. The characters are mine, but I don't own Warriors, ERIN HUNTER does! I'll start with the allegiances and the prologue right now and try to update as soon as possible! Enjoy!**

 **On with the prologue!**

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Prologue :

Rain poured down on the clearing like droplets of fire. Undercover, cats were battling in the night.

"RiverClan, retreat!" yowled a muscular pale grey tom to his fellow clanmates. A pawful of cats yowled in outrage but fled nonetheless along with their friends.

A black tom with ginger spots all over his fur spat at the grey tom's face. "That'll teach you to come and attack us for no reason in the middle of the night, Icystar!"

"For no reason?" snickered Icystar. "You are so naive, Sorrelstar. But don't worry, we'll come back," he meowed before turning around. He then fled, leaving dark paw prints in the mud-splattered ground.

A dark red she-cat padded to Sorrelstar's side. "Is that a threat?" she growled menacingly.

"Yes, Redwing," replied the leader in an undertone. "Dark times are coming for the Clans. I don't know who is behind it, but we need to find out."

Redwing nodded in agreement, and the remaining warriors padded to their respective dens. Suddenly, a wail rose at the far end of the camp. "Sootflower, no!" A small grey and white she-cat was hunched over a motionless gray body, sobbing and shaking.

Sorrelstar padded to her side and licked her comfortingly around the ears. "Sad deaths happen, Fogpaw. StarClan could not have prevented this. I'm sorry. Sootflower will be a great loss to the Clan." He bowed his head and beckoned a brown and white tom, whose face was dark with grief.

"First Cloudkit and now Sootflower," he meowed while curling his tail over Fogpaw. "What have we done to you, StarClan?" he hissed to the sky.

"I'm sorry, Harefoot," replied Sorrelstar. "Your mate," he turned to Fogpaw, "and mother, will always be watching you in StarClan," he added.

"Lets prepare for the vigil," announced a brown tabby tom, quickly making his way amongst the throng of cats sitting sadly on the wet floor. "Rainpaw, go and fetch some mint and daisy leaves," he then ordered a pretty white she-cat with dappled gray spots.

While the Clan was preparing for the vigil, Sorrelstar leapt on a rock which stood in the center of the clearing. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around Highrock to hear my words!" he meowed.

At once, all heads turned to him.

"Today is a sad day. Sootflower has left us to join StarClan. Nevertheless, trouble is coming, we mustn't grieve eternally. RiverClan will want its revenge, and we can do nothing to prevent it. I want extra vigilance in both hunting and border patrols, and extra training for all warriors and apprentices. No exceptions."

The Clan yowled in approval and dispatched to clear the mess. Sootflower's body was placed in the middle of the camp, and a few cats buried their heads in her cold fur.

"May you have good hunting, swift running, and shelter where you sleep," murmured the brown tabby. He then sighed and went back to his medicine cat duties.

...

"Sorrelstar, may I speak with you?" came the voice of the brown tabby tom, having finished tending to all his clanmates.

"Of course, Ferntail," answered the leader. "Come on in," Ferntail padded inside the den, brushing against a lichen curtain.

"I received a prophecy two days ago, and I believe it is of great importance after what just happened," he started.

Sorrelstar pricked his ears in curiosity. "What is it?"

" _The Clans will tumble like stones falling off a cliff. Pine needles and dark streams will unite, and create chaos. Only the jay will be able to save the Clans. But beware, even birds can fly a bit too high."_

"What does that mean?" asked Sorrelstar. But Ferntail looked as puzzled as he was.

"I don't know, Sorrelstar. I honestly don't know."

Sorrelstar sighed. "Let's hope we will discover its meaning soon enough," he meowed. "Please don't tell anyone, yet. I don't want the Clan to go mad with fear. They are already sad enough."

"Of course," answered Ferntail. "Even Rainpaw doesn't know, and she's a talented apprentice. I will go now if you'll excuse me."

"Good night, my friend. May StarClan light your dreams."

"May StarClan light your dreams."

...

In a corner of the camp slept a queen, two tiny newborn kits suckling at her belly. One was black, the other gray. But little did she know what role they had to play.

* * *

 _Allegiances:_

 **ThunderClan:**

 **Leader:** Sorrelstar: ginger, brown and black tabby tom with amber eyes

 **Deputy:** Redwing: dark red she-cat with blazing green eyes

 **Medicine cat:** Ferntail: brown tabby tom with white paws and amber eyes

APPRENTICE: Rainpaw

 **Warriors:**

Poppyblossom: tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Thornfang: brown tabby tom with white paw tips and tail tip and dark blue eyes

Cloudberry: white she-cat with a grey tail and blue eyes

Shellheart: gray mottled tom with green eyes

APPRENTICE: Hollypaw

Rosenettle: brown she-cat with rosy spots and green eyes

Sparkfire: ginger tom with amber eyes

Timberfur: gray and white tom with blue eyes

APPRENTICE: Blackpaw

Squirrelwhisker: bright ginger she-cat with green eyes

Brackenheart: calico she-cat with dark green eyes

Harefoot: brown and white tom with blue eyes

Mallowfern: creamy pelted she-cat with amber eyes

APPRENTICE: Yellowpaw

Pinefur: dark brown, nearly black tom with amber eyes

APPRENTICE: Fogpaw

Lionclaw: ginger tom with green eyes

Whiteslash: black she-cat with a white slash across her head and blue eyes

 **Apprentices** :

Rainpaw: white she-cat with grey spots and blue eyes

Hollypaw: tortoiseshell and white she-cat with blue eyes

Blackpaw: black tom with very dark grey smudges and green eyes

Yellowpaw: yellow tom with amber eyes

Fogpaw: gray and white she-cat with misty blue eyes

 **Queens** :

Finchflight: pale ginger she-cat with green eyes, mother to Sunkit, Larchkit and Seedkit, mates with Pinefur

Nightstorm: dark grey she-cat with green eyes, mother to Jaykit and Breezekit, mates with Thornfang

 **Elders** :

Greenflower: white she-cat with green eyes

Barkshade: brown tom with amber eyes

Beetlewing: solid gray tom with amber eyes

 **RiverClan : **

**Leader** : Icystar: very pale gray tom with white patches and piercing blue eyes

 **Deputy** : Flamewhisker: ginger tom with amber eyes

 **Medicine cat** : Gingercloud: white she-cat with golden spots and blue eyes

 **ShadowClan :**

 **Leader** : Cinderstar: grey tabby she-cat with long fur and green eyes

 **Deputy** : Batwing: black tom with amber eyes

 **Medicine cat:** Silverheart: blue-grey she-cat with green eyes

 **WindClan:**

 **Leader** : Thrushstar: white she-cat with blue eyes

 **Deputy** : Gorsebush: ginger tom with white patches and blue eyes

 **Medicine cat** : Molepelt: brown tom with green eyes

APPRENTICE: Weaselpaw: ginger tom with green eyes

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 **Hope you all enjoyed! Please review ;-)**


	2. Chapter 1

**Thank you for reviewing ! On with chapter 1.**

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Chapter 1 :

"Come on, Jaykit, wake up! it's our first day out of the nursery!" meowed Breezekit impatiently, her black fur fluffed up in all directions.

"Coming," grunted Jaykit as she rose to her paws and blinked open her eyes. Breezekit stared in wonder at her sister's eyes. They were extraordinary. The little black kit stared at the light pools of blue that became darker as the colour neared the irises. On the outskirts of the pupils was a tinge of green.

"What are you staring at?"

Jaykit's mew brought her back to reality. "Huh?" she meowed awkwardly. "Nothing."

"Let's go then!" meowed Jaykit excitedly. "I can't wait anymore!" Breezekit followed her sister out of the nursery. Together, they trotted around until Jaykit stopped and exclaimed in wonder. "Look! There is so much space!"

Jaykit had never thought that the camp would be so wide. It was a clearing with a big rock near the center, a fallen tree, three bramble dens and two natural rock ones. Jaykit guessed that the biggest bramble den apart from the nursery was the warrior's den; and that the other one was the apprentice's den. The first cave to her right was small, and smelled strongly of leaves. Jaykit guessed that it was the medicine cat's den. The leader's den was probably the other cave, hidden by a curtain of lichen.

"Wow..." murmured Breezekit.

Looking more closely, Jaykit noticed that the fallen tree was also a den. _The elder's den._ Jaykit thought.

"Let's go and visit the apprentices!" mewed Breezekit excitedly, but she was interrupted by a pretty white she-cat with grey spots all over her pelt.

"You've got one just behind you, kits," purred the she-cat. "I see you have opened your eyes. Welcome to the ThunderClan camp! My name is Rainpaw, by the way," she added. The sisters spun around.

"Hi!" squeaked Breezekit. Jaykit tilted her head sidewards.

"Why do you smell like herbs?" she mewed curiously. Rainpaw laughed.

"I'm the apprentice medicine-cat. I use herbs to treat wounds."

"Oh!" Jaykit's eyes brightened. "Can you show us your den?"

"Sure!" answered Rainpaw. "My mentor, Ferntail, is out collecting herbs. The passage is clear!" she purred. Both kits squealed in excitement as Rainpaw set off to the herb den. She showed them some herbs and where she slept, but soon the kits grew restless and she let them go and play with their denmates.

"Hey, Seedkit, can we play with you?" asked Breezekit as they ran out of Ferntail and Rainpaw's den.

"No, you're too young. You don't know any battle moves. I'll be no fun!" answered the little brown speckled she-cat, who was play-fighting with her brothers, Larchkit and Sunkit.

"Hey!" meowed Breezekit indignantly. "That's mean! And you could at least look at us while we are talking to you."

Jaykit hadn't said a word. She was staring at her denmates, without moving the slightest bit.

"Jaykit?" Breezekit stared at her sister with concern in her eyes.

"Yes?" she shook herself and looked at her sister.

"You weren't moving!"

"Was I not?"

"Yeah."

"Does it matter?"

"I guess not."

"Then let's go and show them what we can really do!"

"But... Seedkit's right! We don't know how to fight. Yet," answered Breezekit, puzzled.

Jaykit looked at her strangely. "Do you really think so?" Without waiting for an answer, she jumped on Seedkit, paws outstretched. With a startled yelp, Seedkit fell to the ground. Jaykit had her pinned. "I win," she grinned.

"That's not fair! I didn't see you coming," retorted the she-cat. Larchkit stared at Jaykit in awe.

"Howdidyoudothat?"

"What did you say?" Jaykit turned her head sharply to him.

"How did you do that? You're only half a moon old!" he managed to articulate.

"What if I'm young? I have eyes you know. I can copy your movements. And pinning someone down is relatively easy for everyone!" Jaykit glared at him. But Larchkit just stared in wonderment at the grey she-kit.

"Your eyes are so beautiful..."

"Thank you," Jaykit retorted curtly, and she jumped away from Seedkit, who scrambled up in shame, her pelt all dusty from her defeat. "Come on, Breezekit," Jaykit meowed stubbornly. "They're not worth it. Let's go and visit the leader's den!" she then added to her sister in a murmur.

Breezekit didn't answer, but padded after her. _How did she do that? I wish I could beat Seedpaw too._ She thought jealously. Before they had time to do some mischief, Sorrelstar jumped onto the rock that stood in the middle of the clearing.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Highrock for a Clan meeting!"

 _Yes! A meeting!_ Jaykit thought as she settled near the rock with Breezekit. Instantly, she felt herself scooped up by the scruff and dragged with her sister to the back of the newly formed crowd. Nightstorm growled sternly.

"The front is for warriors, not for kits. You are allowed to watch, but only if you behave and stay silent," meowed their mother. Jaykit scowled, but didn't reply. She tried in vain to look past the dozens of cats obscuring her vision. _Why am I so small?_ she thought. _I can't see anything!_ Accidentally, she stepped on a dark brown tabby tom's tail as she tried to stand up on her paws. The tom snapped at her.

"Watch it, kit," he growled. The look he gave her sent shivers down her spine. She held his look in defiance. This cat was strange. _I wonder why he seems to hate me..._ she thought. _I just stepped accidentally on his tail for StarClan's sake!_

Suddenly, she heard a voice inside her head. It was as if the tom was speaking, but he didn't open his mouth. _"This kit is weird. I'd better keep an eye on her."_ Startled, Jaykit spun around, but nobody seemed to have heard this. Instead, they were all focused on the meeting.

 _Strange._ She thought, but shrugged it off and turned her attention back to Sorrelstar.

"One of the most important ceremony in Clan life is the making of new warriors," Sorrelstar continued. "Hollypaw, Blackpaw, Yellowpaw, come forward," he meowed to three well groomed cats, sitting at the front of the crowd.

Hollypaw was a slender, beautiful tortoiseshell and white she-cat with pale blue eyes. Blackpaw and Yellowpaw were both toms, named after the colour of their fur, except that Blackpaw had dark grey smudges all over his back.

"StarClan. These apprentices have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Hollypaw, Blackpaw, Yellowpaw. Do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," answered the siblings in unison.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Hollypaw, from this moment on you will be known as Hollyshine. StarClan honours your determination and thoughtfulness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." The newly named Hollyshine licked Sorrelstar's shoulder, and went to sit by her former mentor, Shellheart, a grey mottled tom with green eyes.

"Blackpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Blackmoon. StarClan honours your bravery and courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of our Clan." Blackmoon licked his leader's shoulder and went to sit between Hollyshine and Timberfur, as it is a sign of respect to sit by one's former mentor at one's warrior's ceremony. Sorrelstar then turned to Yellowpaw.

"From this day on you shall be known as Yellowflame. StarClan honours your loyalty and patience, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

"Hollyshine! Blackmoon! Yellowflame!" The Clan chanted their names as Yellowflame went to sit by Mallowfern, who gazed proudly at her former apprentice.

"You will sit vigil tonight, like all new warriors," meowed Sorrelstar, and he jumped down from the rock and called the meeting to an end. The Clan was busy congratulating the young cats, and didn't notice the little grey kit who was watching them intently. They also didn't notice the jealous look her sister gave her before being swept away by their mother's tail.

Nightstorm carried back her daughters to the nursery while they mewled in complaint.

"Why can't we say hi to Hollyshine, Blackmoon and Yellowflame?" Jaykit protested.

"Because you need to sleep, little one. You can go and see them tomorrow if you like," answered Nightstorm as she put Jaykit gently back on the ground. "Now, go to sleep and close your beautiful eyes, my precious kits," she murmured.

"Are my eyes beautiful too?" asked Breezekit.

"Yes, of course. They are of a deep, deep green. Like mine," Nightstorm purred. "Good night, Jaykit, Breezekit."

"Good night, Nightstorm," murmured Jaykit sleepily. And she drifted into a world of dreams.

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 **Hope you liked it! Please review!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hello again! This chapter is a bit short, sorry, but the next will have some action in it!**

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Chapter 2:

Three moons had passed. A few sunrises after Jaykit's first day out of the nursery, Squirrelwhisker had moved to the nursery, expecting Sparkfire's kits. They had been born a few days before. Squirrelwhisker had given birth to four kits, but one of them had been stillborn and another was very sick. The gentle queen had been overwhelmed with grief and struggled to keep her little ones alive. Jaykit hoped that they would survive. Squirrelwhisker would be devastated if anything happened to them.

"Jaykit, come and look! Yellowflame is showing us some fighting techniques!"

Jaykit rushed out of the nursery and found the yellow warrior teaching Sunkit, Larchkit, Seedkit and Breezekit some basic battle moves.

"Can I try?" she asked the young warrior.

"Of course!" answered Yellowflame. "You just need to swipe a blow at me. If you can manage just that, I'll show you something else," he added joyfully.

"Okay," Jaykit nodded. "I just need to touch you with my paws? That's it?"

"Yes." Without much hesitation, Jaykit sprang and landed in front of Yellowflame. She lashed out with a paw, and had him staggering backwards in a heartbeat.

"I touched you!" Jaykit beamed proudly.

"Wow, that was impressive! You beat Yellowflame!" squealed Larchkit.

"No, not really," purred Jaykit. "Anyone could do that. He just wanted to see if I knew how to swipe in the right time in the right place, I think," she guessed. "Try it. I'm sure you'll manage just fine too." Yellowflame looked at her strangely, and turned to Larchkit.

"Maybe another time, Larchkit," he meowed to the tom. "Sorry for the move I promised to show you, kits, but Redwing is calling me. I need to go on patrol."

The kits waved their tails in farewell and went to sit in front of the nursery, enjoying the peaceful New-leaf sun.

"I can't wait to be apprenticed..." murmured Breezekit. "I want to learn all that stuff! I want to beat you, someday," she added in a more playful tone as Jaykit grinned at her. Jaykit didn't notice the false smile her sister gave her.

"Yeah, me too," she answered. "Sunkit, Larchkit and Seedkit are so lucky, they're going to be apprenticed in a moon! We'll have to wait for two more that them."

"Time is just too slow..." Breezekit sighed. Suddenly, a cry echoed form inside the nursery.

"No! My kit! Fetch Ferntail!" Squirrelwhisker's voice rang in their ears. Instinctively, the sisters rushed to the medicine cat's den and called for help.

"Squirrelwhisker... Kit... Help... Nursery," panted Jaykit. Ferntail looked at them and rushed to the nursery, followed by the curious sisters. Squirrelwhisker was hunched over a tiny kit, and was wailing in agony.

"He's dead!" she cried. Ferntail padded up to her to look at the kit, and checked its breathing. At once, he started massaging the little kit's chest. After a few tense minutes, he suddenly relaxed.

"Your kit is safe now," he told Squirrelwhisker. "But I need you to feed him regularly and check him up all the time. I'll come and see him once a day until he recovers completely." Squirrelwhisker nodded and gently placed her kit near the two other sleeping bundles of fur, and nursed him to sleep. Ferntail padded out of the nursery. Squirrelwhisker turned to Jaykit and Breezekit.

"Thank you for saving him," she added in a whisper. "Thank you for reacting so quickly. Nightstorm will be proud when she hears this."

"It's natural," answered Breezekit, embarrassed.

"Do you need something?" asked Jaykit to the tired queen.

"No," sighed Squirrelwhisker. But she meowed after a pause, "Actually, yes." Jaykit pricked her ears.

"I would like you to name one of my kits each." Jaykit looked bewildered.

"Really? Are you sure?" she meowed, mouth agape. "That's a huge honour!"

"Yes, I'm sure," purred Squirrelwhisker. "Go on, don't be shy."

Jaykit looked thoughtfully at the tiny bundles. Two of the kits were toms, both different shades of ginger tabbies. The third kit, a she-kit, was orange with darker spots. Breezekit spoke first.

"What about Gorsekit for the light ginger tom?" she suggested.

"That's a great choice," purred Squirrelwhisker as she looked at her kits fondly. "Have you chosen, Jaykit?" Jaykit nodded.

"Would Shadekit be okay for the she-kit?" she answered after a heartbeat of reflection.

"Perfect. I want the third one to be called Swiftkit, because your swift reaction saved his life," Squirrelwhisker mused.

"What will you call the fourth one?" Jaykit added silently.

"The fourth one?" the queen looked puzzled for a moment, but then fresh grief appeared on her face. "Oh, I see what you mean. She will need a name in StarClan."

"Yes."

"Well, her name will be Sparkkit, like her father." With these words, she closed her eyes and wrapped her tail protectively around her kits.

* * *

 **Hope you liked the names of the kittens!**

 **Jaykit is a bit too perfect for a kit her age, but you'll understand soon why ;-D**

 **Please review, it helps a lot!**

 **-Lightning**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hello readers! Sorry it took me so long to update...**

 **Thanks to Blue741776 for reviewing all my previous chapters! It helped a lot;)**

* * *

Chapter 3:

"Jaykit! Jaykit! Come and look!" Jaykit woke up with Gorsekit's mew ringing in her ears. She rose to her paws and nodded gruffly.

"Coming," she meowed.

Squirrelwhisker's kits had grown up the past two moons, and Gorsekit's head now arrived at her shoulders. All three of them were always bursting with energy: they seemed to never tire. Fortunately for the remaining kits, Sunpaw, Seedpaw and Larchpaw were now apprentices. The nursery was less crowded like this.

Jaykit padded outside. The sun was shining brightly, its rays warming her soft grey pelt. Shadekit, Swiftkit and Gorsekit were huddled around a small, black, moving dot. Shadekit turned her head to Jaykit.

"What is that, Jaykit? Tell us!" she mewled, tail pointing to the black dot. Jaykit purred.

"It's a beetle," she meowed. "It can fly, sometimes," she added. Swiftkit stopped staring at the frightened beetle and bounced around excitedly.

"Yay! Let's tell Beetlewing we found what he was named after!" he exclaimed.

"I'm sure Beetlewing will be pleased to see you, but he's probably sleeping right now," Jaykit mewed.

"Let's go to the elder's den!" mewled Swiftkit, ignoring her last comment, and the three balls of energy raced to the fallen tree.

Jaykit sighed. The kits were too small for her, as she was going to be apprenticed in a few sunrises. Breezekit often went with the older apprentices and Jaykit was left alone. Jaykit turned, padded to a shady spot near the nursery and started grooming herself.

"Jaykit! You took my place!"

Startled, Jaykit spun around to discover her sister's round, black face. Breezekit was sitting behind her, and she hadn't noticed it!

"Sorry, I didn't see you," Jaykit retorted. "Why aren't you with those annoying apprentices today? You rarely spend time alone," she added.

Breezekit snorted. "They're out with their mentors," she meowed. "And I'm alone because I'm bored."

Jaykit looked at her sister with round eyes. "Hey, me too." She paused, then her eyes lit up. "Do you know what?"

"What?" mewed Breezekit, not even looking at her.

"We could go and explore the forest! Nobody will notice us, the sun is too hot and the Clan is either outside or sleeping."

"Are you crazy!?" cried Breezekit, turning her head to her sister. "We're sunrises away from our apprentice ceremony! What if we loose ourselves? What if we get caught?"

"We won't," answered Jaykit. "Come on, we won't get lost. We got noses you know, we can find our way back to camp easily."

Breezekit looked thoughtful for a moment and then nodded. "Okay. But if someone notices our disappearance or finds us in the woods, it's your fault."

"Fine. Let's go then!"

Jaykit silently padded behind the nursery, her sister following her. Behind the bramble den was a small hole, but big enough for a cat to go through.

"How did you know there was a secret passageway?" murmured Breezekit wonderingly.

"I spent a lot of time exploring the camp," answered Jaykit curtly. "Follow me," she whispered.

The sisters squeezed out of the hole and found themselves in a dense forest with plenty of undergrowth. Trees loomed over them, their branches high over their small heads. Birds were flying and singing in the sky, their wings flapping in the air.

"Wow," murmured Breezekit. "It's beautiful."

Jaykit turned her head around. The forest was green, but multiple shades of green. Some of the trees even had red, pink or blue flowers at their foot. It was truly amazing. Suddenly, an idea came to her head. She turned to her sister, eyes sparkling with malice.

"Bet you can't climb that tree!" she laughed, tail pointing to one of the highest trees she could see.

"Of course I can!" retorted Breezekit indignantly. "Bet _you_ can't."

"I dare you," meowed Jaykit.

"I dare _you,_ " answered Breezekit.

"Fine, let's climb it together. You go first, I go after you, and the first one who gets stuck looses! Race you to the tree!" she exclaimed, swiftly running through the undergrowth. But Breezekit outran her and arrived at the tree's base first. Jaykit arrived seconds later, panting.

"That's not fair! Your fur's shorter than mine. I got thorns all over my pelt now!" Jaykit wailed, fur mingled with plenty of forest debris.

Breezekit laughed. "That's not my fault," she snickered. "Now come on, let's climb the tree!" And both she-kits leaped on a low branch and started clawing their way on the trunk.

After a few moments, Breezekit stopped, panting. "I can't go upwards anymore!" she wailed. "I don't feel my legs!"

"Come on," meowed Jaykit. "We're not even halfway up the trunk! I know you can go higher."

"No! I want to go down! I want to be back in camp!" Breezekit looked ready to burst with panic. "I really can't feel my legs anymore! Jaykit, please!"

"Okay, let's go down, it'll be easier than going up at least," Jaykit answered, desperately trying to calm her sister. But deep inside, she knew that what they had done was foolish. Jaykit tried to get a firm grip on the trunk, but couldn't manage to go down. She was scared. Why had they done this in the first place? _I'm so stupid!_ she thought. _I should have thought something like this could happen to us!_

She could see the camp from where she was. Little moving coloured dots were busy looking for something. _Probably us,_ she thought. Panic started seizing her. She was stuck! She couldn't move!

Suddenly, a crash sounded above her.

"HELP!"

 _Breezekit!_

Jaykit managed to turn her head, but not without effort. Sure enough, Breezekit was dangling from a branch, her forepaws clenching what was left of the branch that had just fallen down. Her hind legs were dangling in the air.

"Help me, Jaykit! Please! I'm going to fall down!" Breezekit wailed, desperately trying to hold on to dear life.

"I can't, Breezekit! I'm stuck!" she cried.

The time seemed to stop as Breezekit slipped off the broken branch and fell down the tree.

"JAYKIT!"

* * *

 **Little cliffy...**

 **What will happen next? Read to find out!**

 **-Lightning**


	5. Chapter 4

**Thank you so much, Snowcrystal of Thunderclan, for reviewing all my previous chapters ! Here is chapter 4.**

 **Reviews :**

 **"Blue741776" - you'll see what happens between the kits next chapter! XD (I'm trying to make the writing less choppy)**

 **"Snowcrystal of Thunderclan" - suspense... Answers in this chapter!**

 **"Qua1l" - thank you so much! (true for the birds :D)**

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Chapter 4 :

"JAYKIT!"

Jaykit watched in horror as her sister plummeted downwards, rapidly closing the gap between Jaykit and the ground. There was a crash, a pitiful mew, and then all became quiet. The leaves no longer rustled, the birds no longer sang. All that was left were the sobs of a terrified gray kit, all alone, stuck on a tree.

"Help..." Jaykit managed to utter. Nobody answered.

"Help!" This time, a chirp answered her cry. But it was only a bird.

"HELP!" she finally wailed. Jaykit tried not to loose her grip on the trunk as the effort took what little was left of her forces. After what seemed like moons to her, a patrol finally came, Sorrelstar at the lead, Nightstorm a mouse length behind him. She looked frantic, and her tail lashed out, swiping the leaves on the ground.

"Up...there..." mewled Jaykit feebly.

Nightstorm let out a cry when she saw her daughter high up in the tree. Without hesitating, she jumped onto the lowest branch and reached Jaykit a few heartbeats later. Gently picking her daughter by the scruff, she made her way back down and licked her desperately.

"Oh! Jaykit, Jaykit. We looked everywhere for you. We thought you were gone! Dead!" she cried between licks. "Don't ever cause me this much pain again, ever. Do you promise?"

"I promise," mewled Jaykit piteously, glancing only once at a furious Thornfang and a restless Sorrelstar. Her father was looking at her with severity, but relief was clear and evident on his face. Then, without warning, Nightstorm became frantic again.

"We need to find Breezekit! Where is she? Where is my precious daughter? Find her, quick!" she wailed, looking at Sorrelstar and Thornfang accusingly. They nodded and both started to scout the forest, in search for a black bundle of fur.

"Do you know where she is love?" she added to Jaykit in a more gentle tone. "Was she with you? What happened to her?"

Jaykit shivered. Her poor sister was probably dead, and it was all her fault! _I should have foreseen this! Oh, why did this have to happen?_ she thought, covering her face behind her paws.

"Jaykit, tell us," Thornfang meowed. "Please," he added in a more urgent tone. "Her life may depend on you."

 _She's dead, she's dead. SHE'S DEAD!_ a voice murmured into her ear. _There's nothing they can do. There's nothing_ YOU _can do. It's all your fault!_

Jaykit whimpered. Shaking and sobbing, she jerked her head to the holly bush in which Breezekit had fallen. Nightstorm rushed to the spot and made her way through the bushes. Unable to answer her leader's questions, Jaykit closed her eyes. Heartbeats later, she heard an anguished cry, and everything became black.

...

"Will she be all right?"

The mew woke Jaykit up as it reached her ears. She was curled up into a tight ball, and was probably inside the nursery. She tried to remember all the last events, but couldn't manage to remember anything between her blackout and this precise moment. _How much time have I slept?_ she thought, while slowly opening her eyes. Swiftkit was towering above her, blue eyes wide, and jumped when Jaykit blinked at him, startled. He rushed to Squirrelwhisker.

"Mama!" he mewled. "Jaykit just woke up!"

Squirrelwhisker purred. "Yes, I saw that," she answered. "Jaykit, dear, your mother is in Ferntail's den. Go and see her, I think she has good news."

Jaykit felt numb as she stared at Squirrelwhisker in surprise. _What good news?_ she thought angrily. _Breezekit is dead! I must go and sit vigil with the others! Not going to the stupid medicine cat's den!_ she nearly choked out in grief. "How long have I been asleep?" she asked the ginger queen.

"About all night and half the day. You didn't oversleep too much. Nothing happened while you were unconscious." Squirrelwhisker answered.

 _Nothing happened? Nothing happened? Breezekit just died! My SISTER just died!_ she wailed internally, as she prepared herself to rise.

Jaykit cried in pain as she tried to stand up. She hadn't realised that she was covered in poultices! _Of course!_ she thought, shaking. _I scratched myself with thorns and some of my claws broke while I was clinging to the tree._ Slowly, she managed to get up and staggered all the way to the nursery entrance. She looked outside, terrified of what she would find there.

There was no vigil, nobody in the center of the clearing. Cats were busy doing their duties, some were even sharing tongues in the shade. Worry started clawing at her belly as she thought that they had probably done the vigil without her. She turned around miserably, tail drooping, head low. But then understanding lit up her face. Without waiting another second, she ran to Ferntail's den, panting and wincing, and peeped inside.

Sure enough, Ferntail was tending to a she-kit, Nightstorm busy licking the little black shape while the medicine cat tried to apply something on her eye. Rainpaw was busy sorting through herbs, once in a while giving some to her mentor when he asked her. The little shape began to move, and mewled in protest as the sting rose to her eyes. But the mew was so feeble that Jaykit felt miserable again.

"Oh, Breezekit, I'm so sorry!" she wailed, rushing to her sister's side. Startled, Nightstorm stopped licking Breezekit and looked up, tensing, and then giving a sigh of relief when she saw who it was.

"Thank StarClan Jaykit. You're all right," she purred. "Breezekit is alive. I don't know how it happened, miracles are rare. Ferntail is treating her injuries." She turned to Ferntail. "She'll be fine, won't she? You'll fix everything up."

Ferntail didn't look up. "She'll live," he answered.

Jaykit let out a long breath she hadn't realised she had been keeping, but her heart contracted again when she saw how stressed Ferntail looked. The brown tabby was clearly not saying everything.

Jaykit padded towards her sister, hoping to find a healing body. Her mother had seemed confident, that meant everything was fine. Or would be fine.

What she saw scared her out of her fur. She nearly recoiled in shock.

Breezekit lay in a small puddle of blood, soaked moss underneath her. One of her back legs lay sprawled on the ground, the bone sticking out in a weird angle. It was plastered in cobwebs, but the wound was still oozing with blood. Aside from this injury, Breezekit was covered in scratches, like Jaykit herself, but much much deeper. Bits of holly lay beside her; Nightstorm must have picked them out of her fur. But the worst was the eye. Oh! the eye. It was bandaged so tightly that Jaykit guessed that what was beneath it wasn't in a good shape. At all.

Jaykit watched helplessly as Ferntail meticulously secured the eye bandage with a long straw, turned to Rainpaw and beckoned her over.

"The worse is cleaned up, we just need to replace the bone and fasten the leg with a stick," he meowed to his apprentice.

The dappled gray and white she-cat simply nodded in response and went to Ferntail's side. Jaykit wondered why her mother looked so calm. She had seen Squirrelwhisker's attitude when Swiftkit had been in danger, but Nightstorm only looked at the scene with worried eyes, and no more.

Suddenly, Jaykit heard a crack, succeeded by one of the most heartbreaking cries. Jaykit spun around. Indeed, Ferntail and Rainpaw had replaced Breezekit's leg. The bone was no longer visible. Quickly, Rainpaw placed a stick near the broken leg and let Ferntail bandage it all together. He then turned to Nightstorm, who was now very scared and frantic.

"You are very lucky that it was only her leg and her eye," he meowed. "She could easily have broken her ribcage, or her backbone. She could easily have died."

Jaykit pictured her sister with a broken backbone, eyes round with horror. _No! This did not happen, everything is fine,_ she tried to convince herself.

"Thank you for saving my kits, Ferntail." Nightstorm answered, rushing towards Breezekit and curling herself tight around her. "They mean the world to me," she whispered.

Jaykit padded to her mother and curled up near her head. "It was all my fault, Mama!" she cried. "I told Breezekit to follow me out of camp and I dared her first to climb the tree!"

Nightstorm licked her on the head and soothed her. "It was a bad idea, and dangerous too, but nothing is your fault. It could have been you and not Breezekit, or you both could have been hurt or fine. You cannot change fate. Just thank StarClan for the life they did not take."

Jaykit looked at her mother, but could only see love in her eyes. Breezekit was already asleep, and Jaykit followed not long afterwards.

* * *

 **If you have any OCs to give, please send them by reviewing! I welcome them because I need cats for the other Clans! You're welcome to present them any way you like, please just don't write tons of information about them because they will be minor characters in the fanfic;-)**

 **-Lightning**


	6. Chapter 5

**Thank you so much for the OCs, Blue741776 and HeatherDiamond128 ! I'll definitely use them ;)**

 **Reviews :**

 **"Blue741776" - You guessed correctly (even though I won't tell it in this chapter)... Yes, she probably will become a warrior, but you'll see in the next few chapters ;)**

 **"ZadArchie" - Thank you for pointing that out! I corrected it XD**

 **"HeatherDiamond128" - I love your OCs! They're great!**

 **On with the chapter (finally!)**

* * *

Chapter 5:

Jaykit woke up in the middle of the night. Nightstorm and Breezekit were both fast asleep in the medicine cat's den. Breezekit lay sprawled on the ground, eye bandaged and leg straight. She twitched in her sleep, but did not make a sound. Looking once more at the mangled body of her sister, Jaykit thought about the accident. It was all her fault, and she could do nothing to repair her mistake.

Turning around miserably, Jaykit padded outside. The air was cool, not too hot and not too cold. A gentle breeze ruffled her fur as she slipped behind the nursery, careful not to be noticed by Rosenettle who was guarding the camp entrance. Jaykit knew she wasn't allowed to go outside, especially after what had happened the day before, but some strange force was pushing her to go into the forest. Without hesitating, she squeezed herself through the hole.

Many scents flew to her nostrils as she padded through the undergrowth, bits of twigs snapping under her paws. Jaykit did nothing to hide her presence. Who could be there anyways? Turning her head in every direction possible, she finally looked up at the sky, eyes wide. The stars shone brightly in the sky, and the moon cast silver shadows on the ground, silently moving as the moon disappeared by times behind opaque clouds.

Suddenly, Jaykit heard a sound near where she stood. Quick as lightning, she hid behind a dense bush and pricked her ears. The leaves rustled ad a dark shape emerged from the shadows. Its dark, feline outline was visible thanks to the glowing white moon. Jaykit's eyes narrowed as she recognized the shape. The cat was a ThunderClan warrior, and one she knew well.

Jaykit nearly gasped in shock when the tom scented the air and turned his head towards the bush in which she was hidden. Gleaming amber eyes scanned her hiding place, while Jaykit held her breath. Then, without warning, he turned and fled.

Silently creeping out from under the bush, Jaykit followed his paw steps that were clearly visible in the mud, unaware of the gravity of the situation. She skirted around many trees before finding him, his brown pelt a dark silhouette in the night. Jaykit squinted her eyes to see him more clearly, and very silently hid behind a tree.

"Anyways, Pinefur," meowed a honey-like voice Jaykit didn't recognize. "Is all well in ThunderClan?"

Jaykit nearly jumped out of her fur. What was Pinefur thinking by talking to an enemy warrior? Jaykit bristled in shock and puzzlement. She had to tell Sorrelstar! But would he trust her word against the one of an experienced warrior? Never. And she wasn't supposed to be in the forest. He could postpone her apprentice ceremony if he found out! Jaykit's shoulders slumped in defeat as she watched the scene, helpless and useless.

"Yes, all is well, the plan is working," came the gruff answer. "And you, is your position secured in RiverClan?"

Jaykit pricked her ears in interest. So the other cat was a RiverClan warrior. What were those two planning? Clearly it wasn't for the good of the Clans.

The other cat purred. "Of course. I'm on my way to becoming the next deputy, don't worry."

The cat's silky voice sent shivers down Jaykit's spine. _Deputy? Surely Pinefur and the other cat have other motives than just that,_ Jaykit thought, puzzled. She couldn't see the other cat clearly, but guessed that it was a she-cat by scent. She could also make out dark stripes crisscrossed over a pale grey body, but could see no more.

"That's good," answered Pinefur. "Well, until next time," he meowed.

"Yes, until next time." The she-cat replied. "Don't forget to go to ShadowClan, while I go to WindClan," she murmured.

"Yes," meowed Pinefur with a dip of his head. "I won't forget." Then, he turned his back to the silver tabby and padded away. The silver tabby let her eyes linger on his fading shape before turning herself and disappearing into the pitch-black darkness of the night.

Jaykit just sat there, shivering. She hadn't heard the beginning of their secret meeting, but she guessed that those two were planning something behind their leader's back. _But I can't do anything about it,_ she thought. _I'm just a kit, and no one will trust me. They'll think I just want to get attention._

Head low, tail down, Jaykit made her way back to camp, and curled herself inside the nursery.

…

"Jaykit, what are you doing here?"

Jaykit peeped open her eyes to find herself inside the elder's den. _The elder's den?_ She thought, startled. _I was sure I went inside the nursery last night. I must have thought this was it and slept in the elder's den instead._

Greenflower was looking at her with kind eyes, while Barkshade and Beetlewing were snoring beside her.

"You have twigs all over your pelt, darling!" purred Greenflower, amused. "Do you want me to help you take them off?"

Jaykit felt embarrassed. _I'm so stupid!_ She thought, angry with herself. _I was so tired I forgot to hide the evidence and kept those bothersome twigs in my pelt!_

"Hum, no thank you," she mewled, sensing the heat coming up to her face. "I'll do it alone."

Jaykit started licking herself and plucking out all the twigs that were stuck in her fur. It stung, because her wounds hadn't fully healed yet.

"You know," continued Greenflower. "Every kit goes out in the forest before they're allowed to."

Jaykit stopped licking herself at once. _How does she know?_ She thought, panicked. Greenflower must have read her expression because she soon started purring and laughing.

"It's obvious with all those twigs in your pelt. But do not worry, I won't tell." She winked at Jaykit. "Your secret will only be ours to keep," she purred. "Anyways, as I was saying, every cat gets in trouble sometime in their kit-hood. Even mighty Sorrelstar was discovered chasing a butterfly outside of camp when he was three moons old."

Jaykit pricked her ears in interest. "Really?" she meowed, while tugging at the last twig, which was situated in her tail.

"Oh, yes. And your father, Thornfang, lost himself in the forest the day he was made an apprentice!"

At that, Jaykit laughed, the worry fading little by little. Her father? Lost in the forest? She couldn't believe it.

"I must be going," she told Greenflower suddenly. "I need to see if my sister is all right," she added in a whisper.

"Go on, don't worry about me," answered Greenflower. "But I'm looking forward to seeing you again here soon!"

"Yes, I'll come back sometimes," Jaykit answered, gratitude obvious in her eyes. "Thank you for keeping my secret!"

Greenflower did not answer, but watched with kind eyes as Jaykit padded out of the den.

The sun was starting to rise, and the dawn patrol must have already gone by this time. Fogpaw was stretching beside the apprentice's den, and Sunpaw's sleepy head was peeping out from the entrance. Jaykit padded to Ferntail's den, unsure about what she would find there. She hoped Breezekit was fine.

"Mama?" she asked tentatively.

"She went to hunt with Thornfang just now," came Rainpaw's answer. "She told me to take care of your sister but said she would come back in no time."

"Okay. Can I see Breezekit?"

"Yes, she just woke up."

Jaykit padded inside the obscure den to find her sister struggling to stand up. Rainpaw was helping her.

"Careful," meowed Rainpaw. "Your leg isn't healed yet, and if you want to be able to train, you need to preserve it. Lie down for now. I'm going to change your poultice."

As Rainpaw disappeared behind stocks of herbs, Jaykit padded hesitantly towards Breezekit.

"Breezekit? Are you all right?" she mewled, as her sister turned her head towards her.

Green eyes met blue, and the world seemed to shatter as Breezekit answered:

"I HATE YOU JAYKIT! I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU! ALL YOU DID WAS RUIN MY LIFE! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN! NEVER!"

* * *

 **Hope you liked it!**

 **Poor Jaykit, everything turns against her... What will she do about what she discovered?**

 **Come on reviewers, you can make it to 20!**

 **-Lightning**


	7. Chapter 6

**Hello again! Here is the next chapter...**

 **Reviews :**

 **"Carrotlover25" - Thank you so much for your OC! Don't worry, she won't be an evil character in the story ;)**

 **"xXLilystarXx" - Thank you so much! I really love their names ;) Sorry, but I can't place them in ThunderClan since I already have the full allegiances. I'll maybe keep one of them as a ThunderClan kit later on but not all three of them.**

 **Now on with the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 6 :

"Jaykit, come forward."

Sorrelstar's mew rang clearly in the ThunderClan camp, and Jaykit padded determinately towards Highrock, where her leader was addressing the Clan. She stood proudly beneath the grey rock, tail curled neatly around her paws.

"Jaykit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed." Sorrelstar continued with a flick of his tail. "From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Jaypaw. Your mentor will be Redwing. She has trained Lionclaw into a fine warrior, and I trust her to pass down all she knows on to you."

 _Redwing?_ Thought the newly made Jaypaw, astonished. _I never thought the Clan leader would appoint the_ deputy _as my mentor!_

Sorrelstar then turned to Redwing, who was sitting in the front of the crowd. "Redwing, you are ready to take on another apprentice. You are an excellent deputy, and I expect you to pass all you know to Jaypaw."

Jaypaw turned towards Redwing and touched noses with her. "I'll make you into the best warrior possible, Jaypaw." She heard her mentor murmur. Jaykit twitched her ears to show she had heard, but did not answer.

"Jaypaw! Jaypaw!"

As the Clan chanted her name, Jaypaw couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness for her sister. They hadn't talked to each other since the day after the accident, and Jaypaw felt lonelier than ever. Maybe it would be easier to have friends now that she was an apprentice.

Sorrelstar did not leap off Highrock as the yowls of congratulations died down. Instead, he beckoned Ferntail forward.

"Ferntail, you had something to tell me," Sorrelstar meowed.

"Yes, and I wanted to tell it to all the Clan," the brown tabby answered. "I am happy to announce that Breezekit's leg is healing, and I think she will have no problem coping with warrior apprentice's duties."

The Clan murmured happily at the news. Breezekit had been taken care of by all the Clan, and everyone thought it would be unfair not to give her a chance to be a warrior.

"Nevertheless," Ferntail continued, "Her left eye is lost. Rainpaw and I can do nothing about it. BUT," he meowed as shocked mews filled the clearing. "We think that in a moon's time, she will be ready to become an apprentice."

Sorrelstar pondered this for a few heartbeats, and then dipped his head to Ferntail. He then turned his head towards the medicine cat's den, where Breezekit was sitting beside Nightstorm, looking at her sister with one blazing green eye. She seemed more jealous than ever.

"Breezekit, do you think you will be able to train with only one eye?"

Breezekit straightened herself and fixed Sorrelstar with a determined gaze. "Yes, I am ready to do all I can to become a warrior. Even with only one eye."

"Very well then. When Ferntail tells me that it is time, you will become an apprentice."

…

Jaypaw padded to the apprentice's den, careful not to catch her sister's eye. Since the accident, they had not seen each other often. When Jaypaw had gone to Ferntail's den once to check out a minor injury, Breezekit had purposefully slipped out of the den to 'go to the dirtplace'. To add more solitude to her life, Nightstorm and Thornfang had spent their nights beside their injured daughter, and Jaypaw had been forced to sleep alone in the nursery. Squirrelwhisker had been nice with her, and let her sleep beside her when Jaypaw felt lonely.

Shaking these thoughts away, she peeped inside the den. There were five nests in total, and one of them looked newly made.

"I made it for you."

Jaypaw spun around. Larchpaw was sitting at the entrance of the den, head tilted to one side. "Thanks," Jaypaw muttered.

"Aren't you happy to be an apprentice?" he continued. "I mean, it's sad not to have Breezekit around but anyways."

 _Oh,_ she thought, disappointed. _So he wants to talk about Breezekit._

"Yes, I guess it's exciting," she snapped. "But could you please leave me alone for a moment? I'm tired."

Larchpaw looked crestfallen. "Fine, I'll go," he meowed sadly, while Jaypaw turned her back on him.

Jaypaw curled herself miserably in her nest, not noticing Larchpaw's look of longing as he padded out of the apprentice's den. She had thought her apprentice ceremony would be great! She had hoped that Breezekit would be there too, and that her parents would be here to congratulate her. They didn't even come to tell her they were proud of her. And she had thought Nightstorm loved her! Were all her words lies?

Jaypaw pondered this. Nightstorm had told her she loved her, and deep down, Jaypaw knew she did. But why did her parents not come to see her after the ceremony? Why? Jaypaw sighed. So much for being an apprentice. Well, she would just have to prove them she could be the best warrior possible. She would prove them that she could be as brave as Breezekit let them thought she was. Injury or not, she would be the best, and surpass even the greatest warrior.

Jaypaw's eyes gazed in wonder as the light dimmed outside. Her apprentice ceremony had started late because Sorrelstar's patrol had had a border skirmish with RiverClan. Redwing had told her to sleep now in order to wake up early in the morning.

Jaypaw knew that Breezekit was jealous of her, and blamed her for the loss of her eye. Jaypaw secretly thought the same thing, but she knew that she couldn't go into the past and change it. Breezekit would have to cope with her injury alone. _If she doesn't want my help, then it's her problem. I won't be here for her when she finally realizes that we are sisters, no matter what._

A spark of hope lit in Jaypaw's deep blue-green eyes when she thought about the days to come. She had the deputy as her mentor. She had luck on her side. She would succeed. She would be the best warrior ThunderClan had ever seen, and she knew it.

* * *

 **I just love writing ceremonies... It's so great!**

 **QOTD (yes, I'm starting that now XD) : What do you think about Jaypaw and Breezekit's relationship?**

 **Please don't forget to post a review, it really helps!**

 **-Lightning**

 **PS : I really need more OCs, so please post a review or PM me if you have some!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Hello, wonderful readers! Ready for Jaypaw's first day as an apprentice?**

 **Reviews:**

 **"Blue741776" – Yes, their relationship is really complicated, and it might even change a lot during the story!**

 **"Stormshine100" – Thank you! Yes, the grey kit is definitely Jaykit XD**

 **"Guest" – Thank you so much, they're great! Yes, you can give them personalities if you want to!**

 **"Arachnid" – I'll use him ;) Thanks!**

 **"Carrotlover25" – I debated a lot on the choice of her mentor, I really didn't know if I wanted the deputy to be her mentor, but I chose her finally ;) Thank you for your OC!**

 **"Cloudy Dreamcatcher" - Thank you so much for your wonderful reviews! I corrected the little mistakes ;) Yes, I think that too for their relationship. To answer your review on chapter 4, Ferntail did not replace Breezekit's bone with a stick, he just straightened it XD Thank you for your OCs!**

 **On with chapter 7!**

* * *

"Jaypaw, wake up, it is time to go out of camp!"

Jaypaw woke up at the sound of her mentor's voice. Sighing, she rose and padded out of the apprentice's den, while her four new denmates enjoyed an entire morning of sleep. _I hardly slept this night!_ She thought angrily, nevertheless joining Redwing. _These first days as an apprentice are definitely horrible._

"Don't be in a bad mood, Jaypaw," meowed Redwing. "Every apprentice has to wake up early sometimes in their apprenticeship. Even warriors have to. The dawn patrol has already gone!"

"But I'm hardly an apprentice! I was a kit last sunrise!" Jaypaw protested.

"That is not a reason," hissed Redwing. "If you want to be a kit again, I can ask Sorrelstar to make you wait to be an apprentice until Breezekit is healed!"

Jaypaw scowled, but thought better than to answer. Together, mentor and apprentice padded out of camp. The leaves rustled as they brushed past the bramble entrance, while a light breeze ruffled their thick pelts. Jaypaw already knew the forest, and well. What Redwing did not know was that she had slept nearly all her last nights as a kit in the forest. With her parents caring for Breezekit and Squirrelwhisker busy with her own kits, nobody noticed her nocturnal visits to the forest.

"Are you even listening to what I am saying?"

Jaypaw snapped out of her dreams, and looked at her mentor. Quickly, she scanned her surroundings and saw that they were near the Owl Tree.

"You just said that this was the Owl Tree, and that a leader named Owlstar had something to do with it," she answered, guessing what Redwing might have told her, while combining bits and pieces of what she had heard together.

Redwing sighed. "Yes, lucky you. The elders must have told you where it was. But please pay attention to what I am trying to say to you. So, can you please tell me what Owlstar did, if you are so clever?"

 _The elders did not tell me! I discovered it alone!_ Jaypaw fumed. _She knows nothing about me. Nothing at all! She probably had all the care she wanted from her parents when she was a kit! And littermates that loved her, and love her still!_

"I am waiting, Jaypaw."

 _What did the elders tell me about Owlstar? What did Nightstorm tell me? Nothing. NOTHING. Nobody pays attention to me. Nobody loves me. And now I'm stuck with Redwing as a mentor._

"Jaypaw, if you don't know, please tell. It costs you nothing," Redwing meowed scornfully, green eyes glinting dangerously.

"I don't know," Jaypaw mumbled.

"What did you say? Could you speak a little more clearly?"

"I. Don't. Know," answered Jaypaw, loosing patience. _I hate her! I hate her! What did I do wrong?_ Jaypaw thought, eyes blazing with anger.

"If you are going to be like this for the rest of the day, you'd better go back to camp and clean the elder's den. You could ask them what Owlstar did, and maybe answer my question tomorrow," hissed Redwing, swatting Jaypaw's ear with her paw. A few heartbeats passed on. "So?"

"I'm sorry. I'll listen," meowed Jaypaw, defeated. However, the fire in her eyes did not seem to extinguish.

"Good. Now, follow me and pay attention."

Jaypaw followed her ginger mentor, bad thoughts churning in her head. _What did I do to you, StarClan, to make my life miserable? Why am I always the one having bad luck?_

…

The day passed on, and the two she-cats crossed the ThunderClan territory through and through, without missing a tiny patch of herb. _I guess that Redwing is a good mentor. But I still don't like the way she treats me._ Jaypaw thought. They suddenly paused beside the RiverClan border.

"What do you scent?" asked Redwing to her apprentice.

"RiverClan obviously. Fish smells horrible, I can recognize this horrid smell hundreds of tail lengths away!" answered Jaypaw, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

Redwing seemed impressed. "Few apprentices know the scent of RiverClan and fish on their first day out. I guess that you discovered it on your little escapade with your sister a moon ago," she added, more to herself than to Jaypaw. "This is good. What else do you smell?"

Jaypaw lifted her nose in the air and took a deep breath. "I smell the wind blowing on rocks and the prey hiding underneath tree roots. There is a Twolegplace behind us, and I smell ShadowClan scent opposite RiverClan territory. There is also a very weird smell on the ThunderClan and ShadowClan border," she then answered.

"How do you know it was ShadowClan and Twolegplace?" asked Redwing.

"Well, RiverClan is here, so ShadowClan is opposite, and the last can only be Twolegplace," shrugged Jaypaw. "I guess someone told me who we shared borders with."

"That was very good. You have a very accurate sense of smell, what you told me was far from our actual place, and very few of our best hunters could smell that when they were apprentices. The weird smell you can scent is the Thunderpath. I am going to show it to you when we finish here," meowed Redwing.

"This is Sunningrocks," she continued, pointing her tail to a sunlit place with rock plates, near the border. "It is now in ThunderClan possession, but RiverClan often tries to take them from us. It was surrounded by water a long time ago, which made it difficult for other Clans to have it, so it was part of RiverClan territory. Many moons later, the water dried up on our side of Sunningrocks, and it became accessible from ThunderClan territory, so we claimed it as our own. There has been many battles since, and there will always be one soon."

Jaypaw nodded, memorizing every word of what Redwing just told her. The weather was warm, and she wished she could just sun herself on these rocks. Redwing noticed the look of longing in her apprentice's eyes and purred.

"I want to sun myself up there too, but we do not have time now," she laughed. "Follow me, I want to show you the Thunderpath."

Jaypaw and Redwing crossed the Sandy Hollow, where Jaypaw learned that apprentices and their mentors often battle practiced, and they crossed the territory again. Jaypaw's paws were sore from walking, and she made a mental note to go and see Ferntail when they came back to camp. Finally, apprentice and mentor arrived at the other end of the ThunderClan camp, after a long trek across the territory.

"This is the Thunderpath, where monsters travel," Redwing started.

"What are monsters?" asked Jaypaw, interrupting her mentor.

"Monsters are –," she stopped. "Stay behind me and look," she hissed suddenly.

Jaypaw wrinkled her nose in disgust at the Thunderpath. _This is worse than fish!_ She thought. Suddenly, the ground seemed to shake beneath her paws. Trembling with fright, she hid behind Redwing, the hairs on her pelt standing on end. A huge shape appeared on one side of the Thunderpath. It ran at a very high speed, and brushed past Redwing without noticing her. Jaypaw's fur was blown backwards by the wind it created.

Redwing chuckled at Jaypaw's expression. "That was a monster."

 _This was scary!_ She thought, eyes round and frightened. _I was lucky to have stayed on the other part of the territory when I went out of camp at night. I could have gone there and got eaten by a monster without realizing it was too late!_

"I think it is enough for today, Jaypaw," meowed Redwing. "Let's go back to camp, you must be tired."

Jaypaw nodded, and nearly yawned. She had barely slept the night before and had spent all day out of camp! Night would be falling soon. _It wasn't so bad after all._ She thought. _Redwing can actually be nice, sometimes._

* * *

 **That's it for chapter 7! Hope you liked it ;)**

 **Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed and/or favourited this story!**

 **QOTD: Who would you side with: Jaypaw or Breezekit?**

 **-Lightning**


	9. Chapter 8

**Wow, it really took me eight months to get his chapter out...**

 **I'm so sorry, but I had a huge writer's block: for this story longer than intended. But I do plan on updating quicker now, as I have the plot all planned! I will at least try to have a chapter up once a month, and if possible, once a week (but I can't guarantee that).**

 **Reviews:**

 **"Pebblewish" - Thanks! And maybe XD**

 **"Blue741776" - Yes, she definitely will! Jaypaw is a little special, and I don't know in which direction her character will evolve yet, but Redwing will certainly help! Haha, I don't know if I like Breezekit very much XD But you'll see as the story evolves what she will become ;)**

 **"Cloudy Dreamcatcher" - Thanks! Yeah XD Both sort of have horrible characters! I see what you mean ;)**

 **"DatWulf" - Thank you so much! And of course, Stonedawn will be used ;) And she won't be evil: I already have plenty of cats for that XD (I love the name Stonedawn by the way!)**

 **"FlareOfTheMidnightPanther" - Haha :D Thank you!**

 **"Tigerflight" - Thank you so much for reviewing every chapter of this story! Well, Jaypaw can be sort of annoying at times, but she will soften up!**

 **"BlueTheSpaceWolf" - Thanks for reviewing!**

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Chapter 8:

Jaypaw yawned as she slipped out of the apprentices' den. Redwing was very strict with her and always woke her up at dawn. She was now used to go to sleep early in order to wake up earlier than the others. Due to this difference, she rarely saw the other apprentices, but Jaypaw felt more than happy with that. She disliked Seedpaw and Sunpaw, felt uncomfortable with Larchpaw, and Fogpaw was too reserved and nearly a warrior. The only apprentice Jaypaw could stand was Rainpaw, but she was a medicine cat apprentice. Not to mention that she rarely could see her alone, because Breezekit was always between them.

Nightstorm had come to see her once, after her first day out as an apprentice. She had told Jaypaw she was very proud of her, and that Thornfang was, too.

"You'll always be my precious kit," she had said; but the black she-cat had not come back again.

Jaypaw shrugged those thoughts away and padded up to Redwing, who was sitting beside Pinefur. Fogpaw was there too, sitting near her brown mentor. Her blue eyes were darting around anxiously, as if dreading for some cat to appear.

"Jaypaw, you have learned basic hunting and fighting techniques, and I think it is time for your first assessment," meowed Redwing. "Pinefur agreed to bring Fogpaw to train with us. I think it will be good for you to spar with a much more experienced apprentice," she added.

Jaypaw widened her eyes in dismay. _Pinefur?_ she thought. _This is the last cat I would want to spend time with! Maybe I should tell Redwing that he's up to something…_

Masking her troubled face, Jaypaw looked at her ginger mentor straight in the eye.

"Of course, Redwing," she meowed, catching a glimpse of Pinefur's dark amber gaze. Jaypaw shuddered but stayed straight.

"Good," purred Redwing, pleased at her apprentice's obedience. "I see that half a moon of training has already calmed you down. Well, if you're all ready, let's go," she meowed, flicking her tail to motion the other cats.

Jaypaw did not answer. Rage boiled inside her at the idea that both Redwing and Pinefur especially had total control over her. _Was this his idea?_ she thought. _I don't like this at all. Not at all._

…

The small patrol arrived at the sandy hollow before long: the sun wasn't even halfway to its peak. Jaypaw blinked as sleep finally lost her grip on her and she settled beside Fogpaw as Redwing discussed her assessment with Pinefur.

After a while, her ginger mentor lifted her head and looked at both apprentices.

"Jaypaw, I want you to listen carefully and watch," meowed Redwing. "I will show you a move you haven't yet done, and I will demonstrate it with Pinefur. Then, you will do it against Fogpaw."

Redwing faced Pinefur and crouched low, while the other did the same. Her green eyes darted sideways, examining the different possibilities, and then she jumped on top of Pinefur. The latter tried to shake Redwing off, but the she-cat hung tight. Then, Pinefur flipped on his side, falling sideways, and Redwing had to get off his back.

"This is what you will do today," meowed Redwing, panting a little. "Of course, we could each have inflicted much more damage to each other, but this is just practice. Understand?"

Fogpaw and Jaypaw both nodded, having assimilated the moves.

"Now Jaypaw, can you tell me in which case that move is to be used?" asked the ginger mentor.

Jaypaw thought for a heartbeat, and her eyes brightened. "It's a good move for a smaller cat to do on a larger one," she meowed, sure of herself. "You are smaller than Pinefur, and it's easier for you to leap on him because you are less heavy than him. And you can cling on easily because you're smaller: he can't reach you with his paws."

"Very good," purred Redwing, impressed with the precision of Jaypaw's words. "So you know who is to do which move now, between you and Fogpaw."

Jaypaw nodded. "I'm smaller than Fogpaw, so I do the attack move, and then she flips on the side to destabilize me."

"Yes," meowed Redwing, stepping aside so as to let the space to the two apprentices. "Flipping on the side is a risk to take, because it exposes your belly to other opponents: but it's the only way to get rid of someone on your back easily."

Jaypaw padded towards the center of the sandy hollow, and noticed Fogpaw's eyes change from dreamy to focused. The grey and white apprentice positioned herself in front of Jaypaw, keeping two fox tail lengths between them.

 _Fogpaw's strange,_ thought Jaypaw, studying the other apprentice. _I wonder what happened to her when she was younger, to make her look scared and reserved at times but also very attentive when she wants too._

"Don't be too hard on her, Fogpaw," meowed Pinefur, his voice cold and expressionless as always.

Fogpaw nodded, not answering in words.

 _She's so unlucky to have Pinefur as a mentor,_ thought Jaypaw. _I certainly don't like him. But maybe Fogpaw does?_

"You can go now!" meowed Redwing to Jaypaw, taking her apprentice out of her thoughts and bringing her back to reality.

Concentrating, Jaypaw lunged on Fogpaw and unsheathed her claws to get a grip on her opponent. She knew it wouldn't hurt her, as she had seen Redwing do it on Pinefur earlier.

The bigger apprentice tried to shake her off, but only succeeded on making Jaypaw a little dizzy. Then, deciding it was time to make the counter attack move, Fogpaw flipped aside and forced Jaypaw to jump off her so as not to get crumpled under her.

Scrambling away from the older apprentice, Jaypaw now faced Fogpaw, ready to do the move again. But she was stopped at Redwing's commanding yowl.

"Stop!" meowed her mentor, padding towards them with Pinefur. "That's enough, we just needed to see how you did this move on your first time."

Jaypaw tilted her head questioningly.

"You did it perfectly well," purred Redwing, eyes glinting in amusement. "Fogpaw too," she added to the other apprentice. "I know you already knew the move, but you did well by rolling in a tight ball to protect your belly."

Fogpaw nodded, her eyes becoming misty once more.

 _Fogpaw definitely is weird,_ thought Jaypaw, squinting her eyes. _She changes attitudes all the time!_

"Now Jaypaw, I want you to do a mock fight with Fogpaw, using all the techniques you learnt since the beginning of your training," meowed Redwing after a moment. "This is a good opportunity for me to assess you, as Fogpaw will be doing her final assessment in half a moon."

Fogpaw crouched low again, and Jaypaw imitated her. Without warning, Fogpaw sprang and lashed a paw at Jaypaw's face, aiming for the eyes. Unprepared for an attak this quick, the grey she-cat stumbled backwards but regained her balance, nevertheless backing a few steps away from her opponent.

 _She's good!_ thought Jaypaw, panicking a little. _How am I supposed to beat an apprentice twice my size and skill?_

 _You just have to learn and practice, as much as you can,_ meowed a tiny voice in her head.

 _Yes! That's it! Practice,_ thought Jaypaw, smoothing her fur and preparing to pounce if Fogpaw attacked her again. _Practice. I like the word. I'll be the best warrior in all the Clans!_

Fogpaw lunged again, but this time, Jaypaw was prepared. Ducking, she ran underneath Fogpaw and turned around to aim a blow at the other apprentice's backlegs. Surprised, Fogpaw staggered and nearly fell, but spun around and tried to grab one of Jaypaw's forelegs with her teeth.

Concentrating on not being caught, Jaypaw didn't notice Fogpaw's gleaming eyes as she suddenly changed side and pushed Jaypaw on the side with all her force.

The grey she-cat was sent reeling away, and hit soft fur before she landed on the ground.

For a moment, she lay dazed on the ground, unsure of what to do. Her head was spinning.

 _Jaypaw is a threat,_ she suddenly heard. _She's already good, and hasn't done much training. And on top of that, I fell that her eyes can see in my head. I saw no cat with eyes like that before. It's strange._

A loud hiss escaped from just behind her, and Jaypaw scrambled to her paws, more worried about the cat behind her than the current sparring match.

 _The voice has come back!_ she thought, as reality struck her. _But it's not really_ a _voice, is it? I can hear thoughts. But only when I touch the cat. And how come I can hear them when I touch Pinefur? Why not Fogpaw? Or even Nightstorm..._

Jaypaw was sent rolling again as Fogpaw pounced on her like a piece of prey. Pinning her down, the older apprentice pressed her paws on each side of Jaypaw.

 _I wasn't concentrated! I didn't see her coming at all,_ she thought, growling.

 _If you aren't concentrated in the midst of a battle, you won't be spared,_ answered her conscious.

 _Why are you always right?_ thought Jaypaw, sighing.

Thinking about the few possibilities that could get her out of this situation, Jaypaw's mind drifted again to her unusual power.

 _Am I the only one? Why have I got this power? And why can I hear just Pinefur's thoughts for StarClan's sake?!_

But Fogpaw had won, and Jaypaw knew that. In a real battle, her opponent could have clawed her belly, and sent her running back to her own territory.

"Thank you, Fogpaw," came Pinefur's cold and steady voice. "You can stop fighting now."

Jaypaw got up to her paws as Fogpaw got off her, leaving her dazed and dreamy.

 _Wake up!_ meowed the voice in her head. _You can't have Pinefur knowing your power! Remember what he said: "I feel that her eyes can see in my head."_

Opening her eyes wider, Jaypaw half nodded to nobody, earning a curious stare from Redwing. Thankfully, Pinefur hadn't seen that.

"That was good, Jaypaw, even though you lost at the end," meowed Redwing as she approached her apprentice.

"But I did loose," replied the smoky blue-grey she-cat. "And I only did one good move..."

"Still, you surprised Fogpaw, and she's very skilled for her age," meowed Redwing, green eyes kind. "She's one of our best fighters, and has a great fighter as a mentor too."

 _Pinefur...I'm going to have to do something about him. Soon, or he will get to me first._

At Jaypaw's lack of words, Redwing added, "and you only had half a moon of training! If you hadn't hit your head against Pinefur, I'm sure you would have managed a draw."

"No, I don't think so," meowed Jaypaw, as she noticed Pinefur and Fogpaw padding back to camp. Pinefur dipped his head to Redwing before turning around, but Jaypaw did not miss the ambitious gleam in his eyes.

 _Ah, so they think it's because I hit my head that I was unfocused,_ thought Jaypaw, a little relieved. _But I'm sure Pinefur suspects something is wrong with me. I have to be very careful._

"Well, what's the point in dwelling on this?" meowed Redwing, tearing Jaypaw out of her thoughts, _again._ "You'll have countless more assessments, and you'll have time to improve your skills by then."

Jaypaw nodded. _Practice, practice, practice. That's the only way to improve. And not only with Redwing: I have to do it alone too._

 _And you need to discover more about you power,_ added the voice in her head.

She hadn't heard any voices since her first day out of the nursery, but now the memory was vivid and real.

 _If Pinefur was suspicious then, he'll be even more suspicious now,_ she thought, following Redwing out of the training hollow and back to camp.

"Tomorrow, we will practice tree climbing," meowed Redwing as they neared the ThunderClan camp. "I know you have a bad experience of this, but you will see that it is much easier now that you're bigger and stronger."

Jaypaw shuddered. It was because of a tree that her life had all gone wrong. She sometimes missed the old Breezekit, even though they kept arguing all the time. But she preferred that to the emptiness that now lay between them.

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 **Sooo, I guess please review?**

 **I know it took me months to get this chapter out, and I can't force you all to continue reading and reviewing if you don't want to, but could we try to get to 70 reviews?**

 **Oh, and I don't need OCs anymore ;) You can still give some, but I probably won't use them all.**

 **Next chapter will be up next week (normally)!**

 **~Lightning**


	10. Chapter 9

**Wow, that was a quick update! Definitely better than the last one XD**

 **Reviews:**

 **"nerdygirl" - Thank you so much!**

 **"the Key of Endless Winters" - Thanks! And you'll see... ;)**

 **"Tigerflight" - Well, your theory could stand but it doesn't explain why Jaypaw can't hear Nightstorm or Breezekit's thoughts: they're from the same family. You'll undersand everything soon though, in a few chapters!**

 **On to the chapter.**

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Chapter 9:

"Come on Jaypaw, swipe higher! I know you can do it."

Jaypaw prepared again to do the move, and fixed the spot she was supposed to reach on the tree. A moon and a half of training had proved her talent in both fightning and hunting, and Redwing was pushing her more and more. Fogpaw had also gotten her warrior name half a moon ago, and now went by the name of Fogwhisper. The suffix suited her well.

Eyes unblinking, Jaypaw looked at the claw mark on the tree and jumped as high as she could to reach the spot. In the midst of her jump, she swiped her paw on the bark and left a claw mark just underneath Redwing's.

Cursing, Jaypaw prepared to leap again, when Redwing stopped her.

"Jaypaw," meowed her russet mentor. "You have to concentrate on the force in your hindlegs, and not on trying to raise your paw the highest. We're not trying to stretch, but to jump!"

The stormy grey she-cat nodded vigorously, and crouched again, this time with another goal in head. Imagining she was being chased by a dog and had to jump onto a high fence, Jaypaw closed her eyes for a heartbeat and reopened them with a determined expression on her face.

 _I will do it,_ she thought, eyes blazing with determination. _I have to._

Jaypaw sprang again, this time not even looking at the claw mark Redwing had done earlier, and swiped at the bark randomly. A few hearbeats later, she fell to her paws, panting.

"Well done!" purred Redwing, padding towards the exhausted apprentice. "I was sure you would manage to reach the mark by today."

Jaypaw looked at the tree and noticed a small claw mark roughly a paw size over Redwing's. Beaming, she purred at her mentor's praise.

"Now we'll just have to practice your precision and force, but I think we've done enough for today," meowed the ThunderClan deputy, motioning for Jaypaw to follow her.

Jaypaw padded in silence next to her mentor, and both she-cats finally neared the camp. "Go and see if the elders need anything," meowed Redwing as they crossed the bramble entrance. "And bring them food!" she called as Jaypaw nodded, already halfway to the elders' den.

Padding back to the fresh-kill pile, Jaypaw grabbed two shrews and a blackbird, and went straight to the elder's den. Beetlewing was snoring like an old badger.

"Hello, Jaypaw," purred Greenflower as Jaypaw arrived with the three pieces of prey. "It's been a while since you last came to see us! How are your days as an apprentice?"

Jaypaw had only taken care of the elders during her first half moon of training, but had had no time to loose with the hard training Redwing gave her. Since there were many apprentices, the elders were always well taken care of.

"Busy," meowed Jaypaw, escaping a little purr. She really liked Greenflower. Ever since she had ended up sleeping in the elders' den by accident when she was a kit. The gentle white she-cat was loving and understanding, and Jaypaw had found comfort in her after Breezekit's accident.

"I can see that!" laughed the white elder. "You hardly visited us during the past moon! Barkshade and I were even wondering if you had forgotten us."

Barkshade and Greenflower were the parents of Harefoot and Mallowfern, the former being Fogpaw's father.

"I'm sorry," meowed Jaypaw, embarassed. "Redwing trains me all day long, and I only got pauses like today once or twice since I last visited you."

"It's all right, little one," purred Greenflower. "I understand. Cats as young like you shouldn't spend time with cranky old elders like us all the time!"

"You're not cranky and old," contradicted Jaypaw, eyes softening. "And I like spending time with you!"

"Well, that's nice to hear," meowed the pure white she-cat gently. "You and Breezekit are the only ones visiting us these days."

"Breezekit?" meowed Jaypaw, shocked. She hadn't known that her sister was visiting the elders. Well, how could she anyways? She was always out of camp during the day.

"Yes," answered Greenflower. "She's a very melancholic cat, your sister. I know you both have a hard relationship, but you should try becoming close to her again. Littermates are the best thing someone can have..."

Greenflower had meowed the last part wistfully, as if remembering a past memory. Jaypaw opened her mouth to ask a question when she heard a voice from behind her.

"Am _I_ not the best thing you have?" meowed a brown tabby tom to Greenflower, as he padded towards her and lay down next to her.

"Of course, Barkshade!" laughed Greenflower. "I just meant that for Jaypaw: she's too young to have a mate yet!"

"I know," purred her mate, nuzzling her kindly. "I was joking."

"I love you too, Barkshade," replied the old white she-cat, licking him on the cheek.

Jaypaw shuffled her paws akwardly, and nudged the shrews towards both elders. "Here you go," she mewed in a low voice, so as not to bother them much. "I'll see you later!" she added as she retreated from the den, the squirrel in her jaws.

Beetlewing was sleeping: she'd get him some prey later if necessary; and Greenflower and Barkshade clearly needed nothing from her. From where she was, Jaypaw could still hear the lovebirds murmuring love words to each other.

 _What happened to Greenflower and her littermates, if she had some?_ thought Jaypaw as she placed the squirrel on the fresh-kill pile. _I'll ask her later. But what she said about Breezekit... Why would she be melancholic? She was always determined and proud... So why?_

 _Anyways, I won't be the one trying to talk to Breezekit first,_ she thought, pondering Greenflower's words. _She started the fight between us: I had nothing to do with her falling out of the tree, and she refused to talk to me since then!_

 _Well...you did have something to do with her accident,_ meowed another voice in her head. _You were the one who suggested to climb the tree. And no wonder she is melancholic sometimes: she lost an eye, nearly a leg, and a moon or two of training!_

Jaypaw sighed. She knew that what had happened to Breezekit was mainly her fault, though she tried to forget it as much as possible. It sent shivers down her spine to be thinking that her actions had nearly killed her sister.

 _But I won't be the one to talk to her first,_ she thought stubbornly, flicking her tail. _And even if I did, she wouldn't listen._

 _Why would you think that?_ meowed her conscious.

 _Because I tried! The day after the accident. But she refused to listen to me,_ thought Jaypaw angrily.

While lost in her thoughts, Jaypaw hadn't noticed Larchpaw approaching. "Hey, Jaypaw! Do you want to come and eat with me?" he meowed excitedly.

 _Oh no, not him again,_ thought the blue-grey she-cat, groaning in annoyance.

"Hum, no thanks Larchpaw," she meowed to the ginger-brown tabby. "I already ate," lied Jaypaw, not caring anyways since she wasn't hungry.

"Oh, that's too bad," replied the tom, voice still full of energy. "Maybe another time?" he added, not noticing Jaypaw's annoyed face.

"Yes, another time, maybe," answered Jaypaw, padding away from him. It was not that she didn't like Larchpaw, but just because she felt uncomfortable around him. He seemed to like her a lot, but she didn't feel the same way about him. If he hadn't liked her like that, maybe they could have been good friends.

There was still a little time before sunset, but Jaypaw had nothing to do, so she just padded towards a shady spot and rested her head on her paws, examining the warriors going back and forth everywhere. But a detail caught her attention. Her mother, Nightstorm, was sitting near Sorrelstar's den, talking to the ginger and brown leader and Ferntail.

 _What is she talking about?_ Jaypaw thought, frowning. But her question was soon answered as Nightstorm padded towards the medicine cat along with Ferntail, and as Sorrelstar jumped on the Highrock.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around Highrock for a Clan meeting!"

Jaypaw jumped on her paws and went to sit by the gathered cats beside Rosenettle. Nightstorm padded a moment later next to Thornfang, who was sitting in front of Jaypaw, with Breezekit at her heels. Ferntail went to join Sorrelstar and Redwing at the base of the rock, while Rainpaw simply watched from the entrance of the medicine cat den.

Jaypaw looked at her sister strangely, wondering what was going on in her head. Was she happy to finally become an apprentice? Did she also wish for her and Jaypaw to be friends again?

Because deep down, Jaypaw missed her sister. They hadn't gotten along extremely well as kits, but they had still had good moments with each other.

The blue-grey she cat sighed, and focused on Sorrelstar as Breezekit padded towards the front row, any trace of her limp now gone. The black she-cat looked like a normal and healthy cat, if not for her blind eye. At first sight, no one could see her loss, but a scar was clearly visible on Breezekit's left eyelid. The thorn that had scratched her eye hadn't even spared the iris, and the pupil was less of a vivid green than the other one.

"Breezekit, please come forward." Sorrelstar's mew rang clearly in the clearing, and Breezekit padded to the base of the Highrock, chest puffed out proudly. Nightstorm and Thornfang had their tails twined together, and were looking at their kit proudly, as if she was the only one in the world that mattered to them. They did not notice the hurt gaze of their other kit, sitting only tail lengths behind them.

"Breezekit, Ferntail has told me that you have healed completely, and that you are as strong as ever," purred the ginger and brown leader. "It is now time for you to become an apprentice."

"From this moment until you become a warrior, you will be known as Breezepaw. Cloudberry will be your mentor."

The white she-cat with a grey tail padded towards Breezepaw and touched noses with her new apprentice. Jaypaw noticed a gleam of disappointment in Breezepaw's one good eye, but it was gone a heartbeat later and replaced with what looked like excitement and joy.

 _Maybe she thought she would have Sorrelstar as a mentor,_ imagined Jaypaw. _Because I got the deputy... But Cloudberry's awesome too. She's one of the best fighters in all the Clans, and will be able to help with Breezepaw's disability. And she's also Rainpaw's mother! Both of them are really nice._

Sorrelstar turned towards Cloudberry, and continued his speech. "Cloudberry, you have trained many apprentices into wonderful warriors, and I trust you to pass on all of your wisdom and abilities to Breezepaw."

"Breezepaw! Breezepaw!" chanted the Clan, happy for the new apprentice.

Sorrelstar jumped of Highrock and beckoned Redwing with his tail. The ginger she-cat rose and padded with him to his den.

Jaypaw looked with a look of longing at her sister and parents, all three of them so happy and proud. Breezepaw didn't seem bothered by her lost eye; on the contrary, she seemed at ease with it completely.

A few heartbeats later, Nightstorm lifted her head and looked around, as if looking for some cat. Her gaze rested on Jaypaw, and her eyes brightened as she saw the grey she-cat. Nightstorm was asking Jaypaw to come and celebrate with them.

Taken aback by a sudden burst of emotions, Jaypaw didn't respond, but padded tentatively towards her family.

"Jaypaw," purred her mother as the blue-grey she-cat approached her. "It's good to be together again, us four," she meowed, licking her on top of her head.

Jaypaw bit back a sharp retort, and tried to stay calm. _She was the one who spent all her time with Breezepaw when she was in the medicine cat den!_ thought the apprentice. _She could have tried to be more with me too. She has no idea how lonely I was all this time..._

"I wanted Breezepaw to have some space after the accident, and her moral was very low," continued Nightstorm, looking at Breezepaw proudly.

Jaypaw noticed Breezepaw's look of anger at their mother for trying to set things right when it wasn't her job to do it. Jaypaw felt the same.

"I needed to be with her, darling," meowed the black she-cat, oblivious to her kits' feelings, "but now you can both spend time together and try to be friends again! Isn't that wonderful?" she finished proudly.

Suddenly furious at her mother for her lack of understanding, Jaypaw backed a few steps and growled.

"It was your fault if Breezepaw and I got more separated than ever before!" she spat to Nightstorm. "You never took care of _me_ during all this time, and made me feel like an outcast! And now you want us to be like a normal family, as if nothing had happened?"

"Jaypaw, don't talk to your mother like that," snarled Thornfang, padding towards Jaypaw menacingly.

"I don't care!" yowled Jaypaw, eyes blazing with anger. _How dare they!_ she thought, looking at her parends with hatred now. "All you ever did was taking care of Breezepaw, even though you knew I was alone all the time! No parents like you should exist! I hate you! I hate you both!"

With these words, Jaypaw stormed out of the ThunderClan clearing and raced out of the camp, leaving a stunned Nightstorm, a furious Thornfang and a thoughtful Breezepaw behind her.

...

Night had fallen, and Jaypaw was still in the woods, alone. Nobody had come to look for her, and if they did, they hadn't found her yet.

Blinking away her tears of rage, the grey she-cat finally decided to do something other than dwell on what had just happened. Padding towards the tree where she had practiced earlier that day with Redwing, Jaypaw sprang without thinking and swiped at the bark with all her force, letting go of all her emotions at once.

Satisfied, she sat down at the base of the tree and looked up. The moon was shining brightly, and cast silver shadows on the ground.

A long claw mark could now be seen on the bark, way above other small ones, and two fainter ones could be seen on each side of it.

 _One day,_ thought Jaypaw, looking at the glittering stars. _One day, I will prove to everyone that being unloved by my family didn't stop me from becoming anything I wanted. Nightstorm and Thornfang will pay for the pain they have caused me._

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 **Ooh, Jaypaw's evil side has just been revealed XD What will happen to her? Which side will she choose? Anyways,** **I really liked writing this chapter and I hope y'all enjoyed reading it!**

 **QotD: Who do you think is in the right: Jaypaw or her parents?**

 **Oh, and I got fewer reviews for this chapter than the others... So please, can we try to get to 70 reviews now? Whoever will be the 70th reviewer can name an important kit in the story!**

 **~Lightning**


	11. Chapter 10

**Hello! Another quick update ;)**

 **Thank you so much to Nausika Universe for reviewing every single one of my chapters!**

 **"Blue741776" - You'll see for Fogwhisper's story later on, though I can't promise it will be soon. Yes, she will mature, but her relationship with her family will be difficult for quite some time ^^'**

 **"Nausika Universe" - Thank you so so much for all your reviews, but I'm only going to answer your questions, since it would take me so long otherwise XD** First fan fic you said? Sounds like you've already written a hundred: **well, I wrote small drafts of others before posting this one, but I never posted them. This one is officially my first, as it was the first I ever posted and wrots at least two chapters ;) To answer your second review: I don't think I know the book, but for your theory about Jaypaw's power: maybe, and maybe not XD For your review on Chapter 5: I already have a Finchflight, in ThunderClan (Sunpaw, Larchpaw and Seedpaw's mother), but you can give me another name if you want! Review on Chapter 6: I changed it! XD Don't worry, I'm a perfectionist too! Review on chapter 9: In love with Pinefur? Well, maybe, but he already has a mate (Finchflight) XD**

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Chapter 10:

Jaypaw padded out of the apprentices' den, yawning. The first rays of sunshine were starting to illuminate the clearing, but no cat was out yet. Jaypaw was supposed to go on the dawn patrol, but since she was used to waking up early, she didn't mind being on the dawn patrol. Usually, she woke up even earlier to practice alone, but she was tired these days. Redwing had started teaching her more advanced battle moves, and it usually wore Jaypaw off.

During the past moon, a few important things had happened in the Clan. First, Hollyshine had announced that she was expecting Lionclaw's kits, and had moved into the nursery only sunrises ago. Squirrelwhisper's kits were now nearly ready to be apprenticed, but weren't six moons old yet: they would have to wait a little more. Rainpaw had also gotten her full medicine-cat name on the past half-moon medicine-cat meeting, and was now Rainpool. The former apprentice was taking on her duties seriously, and was loved by all the Clan dearly.

But more importantly was tonight's gathering. Jaypaw hoped she would be going, as she hadn't been to the two others that had happened since her apprenticeship. Sunpaw, Larchpaw and Seedpaw had gone to the previous one, and had told the other apprentices all the wonders and amusements of it. Jaypaw had listened in awe, and really looked forward to be going to one.

Blinking as the rays of sunlight became stronger and stronger, Jaypaw padded towards the fresh-kill pile and gulped down a small mouse. She probably wouldn't get to eat until sunhigh, so it was better to eat something now.

Redwing had told her that Whiteslash and Blackmoon were supposed to be on the dawn patrol with them, but Jaypaw couldn't see them. Suddenly, she noticed some movement in the warriors' den, and Redwing padded out with the two warriors in question, sleepy-headed and fur ruffled.

Jaypaw chuckled; clearly they hadn't had Redwing as a mentor! Nodding to her mentor and the two young warriors, she stood up and all four of them padded out of the ThunderClan camp.

"We are going to patrol the RiverClan border today," meowed Redwing as they veered towards Sunningrocks. "They cause us much more trouble than ShadowClan, these days," she added, scowling. "They haven't attacked us since the fight three seasons ago, but it will come soon. I am sure."

Jaypaw had heard of the battle with RiverClan when she was a kit. She had been told that ThunderClan had been unjustly attacked in their own camp by nearly all of RiverClan. Fortunately, ThunderClan had won the battle, but tensions were growing more and more between the two Clans.

After a few moments of silence, the patrol arrived to Sunningrocks. The rocks belonged to ThunderClan now, but they had won them over only a moon or two before Jaypaw's birth. RiverClan would strike soon.

Redwing sniffed around a little, the two warriors doing the same behind her, and relaxed. "The scents are very stale," she meowed. "RiverClan hasn't been trespassing for a while." The red she-cat paused for a moment, and added, "but it makes me wonder when the next battle will happen. RiverClan has been silent for too long."

"Yes," agreed Whiteslash, nodding at Redwing's words. "We can only be too careful. Who knows what Icystar has in mind right now?"

All three cats hummed in agreement, and slowly retreated back to the forest. Instantly, all their shoulders relaxed: ThunderClan cats didn't like to stay out in the open for too long. The undergrowth felt safe and secure.

"Well, I think we had everything checked over here," meowed Redwing, scanning her surroundings once more to make sure they hadn't missed some important detail. Finding nothing, she padded towards the ThunderClan camp, with Whiteslash, Blackmoon and Jaypaw at her heels.

"Jaypaw and I are going training," she meowed to the two warriors as they neared the camp entrance. "Blackmoon, go and report to Sorrelstar; and Whiteslash, take one hunting patrol near the ShadowClan border and ask Poppyblossom to lead another wherever she wants."

"Of course," meowed the two young warriors, each padding to their respective duties.

Redwing turned towards Jaypaw. "Today, you will have a little assessment," she meowed to her apprentice. Jaypaw perked her ears, tail quivering with excitement. "I want you to catch five pieces of prey, each one of them in a different place. And I want you to try to catch different prey each time," continued Redwing, purring at her apprentice's excitement. "I will be watching you, so don't cheat!" she added with a glint of mischief in her eyes.

"Okay," agreed Jaypaw, thrilled at the prospect of doing an assessment. She loved assessments, hunting especially. It made her feel great to be able to come back loaded with prey for the Clan! Since it was Leaf-fall, prey was becoming scarcer and scarcer, but there was still enough to be found to feed all the Clan.

"Then you can go," meowed Redwing to her apprentice.

Jaypaw shot off into the dense undergrowth, covering large bits of the territory very quickly. She already knew where she wanted to hunt, and had a plan already formed into her head. _First, the Twolegplace border,_ she thought as she neared her goal. _Prey is usually plentiful here, so I won't waste my time._

Indeed, Jaypaw quickly found a squirrel nibbling a nut at the base of a tree, and she crept silently towards it. Suddenly, the squirrel lifted its head and noticed the grey she-cat approaching. Quickly, it dropped the nut and started climbing the tree, but Jaypaw was too fast and beat the squirrel to it. Leaping in the air, she snatched the squirrel away from the tree and delivered the killing bite.

 _Neat,_ she thought, burying her prey.

Her next destination, Jaypaw decided, was the RiverClan border. There were plenty of water voles at this time of the seasons, and they loved to live near the river. As she neared the border, a small movement caught the blue-grey she-cat's attention.

 _Yes! A water vole! I was right,_ thought Jaypaw, smirking. Silently, she crept up on the little creature and pounced on it, killing it in a single bite.

 _Three more to go!_

Deciding to go somewhere more challenging, Jaypaw ran towards Snakerocks. Adders weren't usually around in Leaf-fall, but prey was cautious not to venture too much out there, even when there were few to no snakes. Better safe than sorry.

Jaypaw sniffed around for a while, scenting and hearing nothing, when she heard a faint whimper not too far away. Bristling, she stopped her search and padded in the direction of the noise.

 _Is that a small animal in danger?_ she thought, curious. But as she neared the spot, she realised that it was not. It was a kit! Racing up to the kit, Jaypaw recognised the scent of ShadowClan immediately. _What is he doing here? He can't be any more than two moons old judging by his height and milk scent._

The kit, a tom, was a small, brown tabby with yellow-amber eyes. He had stopped whimpering upon the apprentice's arrival, and was looking at her with curious, wide eyes.

"Who are you?" the tom meowed in awe.

Jaypaw half laughed, half growled. "I'm Jaypaw, an apprentice of ThunderClan," she meowed. "But that's not the matter right now. Who are _you,_ and what are you doing on ThunderClan territory? A kit as young as you should be in the nursery with its mother!"

"I'm Spiderkit," meowed the tom proudly, puffing out his chest importantly. His past fear seemed gone, and had been replaced with curiosity and pride.

Jaypaw nodded, a little annoyed by the kit's lack of common sense. Couldn't he see that he was on enemy territory, and therefore in danger? It wasn't the time to boast about his name!

"ShadowClan, aren't you?" the grey she-cat meowed, trying to keep her voice calm.

"Yes," answered the kit, amazed by Jaypaw's guess. "How did you know?"

"It doesn't matter," grumbled Jaypaw, and the kit pouted. "Now," she added, narrowing her eyes so as to tell the kit that their conversation was not a game, "can you please tell me how you got here and why?"

The dark brown tabby kit shuffled his paws, looking down at the ground. "Me, Thistlekit and Cloudkit wanted to explore the territory, so we sneaked out of camp and it was amazing! So we decided to continue exploring, but we came across a weird grey path that smelled horrible."

Spiderkit rumpled his nose in disgust at the thought.

 _The Thunderpath,_ sighed Jaypaw, already knowing where this would lead. "And?" she meowed, so as to let the kit tell the rest of the story.

"Well, there was a huge noise, and I was scared, so I ran over the grey path and got onto the grass just before a roaring beast flew past me," meowed the tom, shuddering. "By the time it was gone, Thistlekit and Cloudkit weren't there anymore, and I was alone..." meowed the kit pitifully. "I thought I would come back home by another way, because I was too scared of the beasts."

Jaypaw felt a stab of sympathy for the kit. It must have been awful to come across a monster at such a young age! Not to say that he could even have died.

Sighing, she grabbed the kit by the scruff and started padding towards the ShadowClan border, where she was sure that a patrol would be looking for him.

 _If everything went right, the other kits managed to go back to their camp and told the Clan,_ thought Jaypaw. _I hope they're all right..._

Spiderkit protested as he was lifted from the ground, but Jaypaw silenced him by giving him a cold glare. With the kit now limp in her mouth, she padded towards the ShadowClan border. After a while, she heard some worried mews not far away, and let her shoulders sag in relief.

 _They've come,_ she thought, running towards the patrol, but not fast so as not to hurt the kit.

Indeed, a patrol of three cats were sniffing along the border, probably trying to find the scent of the kit somewhere. Jaypaw walked up to them and placed Spiderkit on the ground, calling out to them at the same time. The Thunderpath separated them, but the three ShadowClan cats raised their heads and raced over the Thunderpath to Jaypaw.

"Hey, you're on my territory!" growled Jaypaw as threateningly as possible.

"Sorry," apologised a brown she-cat with white spots all over her pelt and blue eyes. "But we saw Spiderkit, and..."

"No, it's fine," meowed Jaypaw, relaxing at the she-cat's kind voice. "This kit got lost on ThunderClan territory, and I wanted to bring him back to you anyways."

"Thank you very much," purred the she-cat as Spiderkit bounded over to them.

"Rosebriar! Adderstripe!" he meowed joyfully to the she-cat and one of the toms, a blotched brown tabby tom with a white muzzle and amber eyes.

The brown tabby tom touched his nose on Spiderkit's forehead gently, and then looked at him with stern eyes.

"We searched for you everywhere!" he meowed to the kit. "Cedarleaf was worried sick, especially when Thistlekit and Cloudkit came back without you! Don't ever do that again."

The little kit hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry," he mewed in a tiny voice. "I just wanted to explore the territory..."

"This is no excuse," growled the brown tom. "You could have died! Think of what Cedarleaf and Mudpelt must be thinking right now!"

"That's enough, Adderstripe," meowed Rosebriar, touching the tom lightly with her tail. "I think Spiderkit has learned his lesson. Let his parents do the scolding when he's back home."

The tom named Adderstripe nodded, and lifted Spiderkit by the scruff.

"Thank you again," murmured Rosebriar to Jaypaw, as all three cats started padding back to their territory. "We won't forget what you have done. What is your name?"

"Jaypaw," meowed the blue-grey she-cat, as she watched the ShadowClan cats leaving with the kit. She hoped he wouldn't get too scolded. He must have already gotten quite of a shock with the monster.

"Well, have a nice day, Jaypaw," meowed Rosebriar, tail waving in farewell. "May StarClan light your path."

"May StarClan light your path!" replied Jaypaw just as the ShadowClan patrol bounded from the Thunderpath to their own territory.

Jaypaw stayed there, pondering on what had just happened. But what bothered her the most wasn't the encounter with the kit, or even the friendliness of the ShadowClan cats. No. It was the gaze of the third cat who hadn't left her for the entire time.

The cat who hadn't uttered a word had been a very handsome stormy grey tabby tom with darker forepaws, probably only three or four moons older than herself. But what had stunned her the most was his incredibly strong and mysterious amber gaze, that seemed to never waver.

Dreamily, Jaypaw padded back to the center of the territory, and caught three more pieces of prey quickly and with no interest. Redwing had probably witnessed the whole scene anyways, and hadn't stepped in so as to see how Jaypaw would handle it.

 _These ShadowClan cats were nice,_ thought Jaypaw as she padded to the meeting place Redwing had defined. _So why are they always depicted as ambitious and cruel?_

"So, Jaypaw," meowed Redwing as Jaypaw arrived, loaded with her five pieces of prey. "You've had an interesting afternoon, haven't you?"

Her mentor was sitting with her tail neatly curled around her feet, a proud look on her face.

"Yes," meowed Jaypaw, flopping on her belly with exhaustion. She had run so much, and her pads were sore after all this effort.

"I'm very proud of you," meowed her mentor, padding towards her apprentice. "Firstly, you have proven yourself to be very efficient in catching prey, and have caught five different pieces in five different places, exactly as I instructed you. Secondly, you have saved a kit in danger, and therefore have respected the warrior code through and through, even though you knew that the kit was ShadowClan and that you would probably encounter an enemy patrol. And thirdly, you have been very brave to stand up to the ShadowClan patrol when they crossed our territory, though I would have been here to help you in case of a fight."

Jaypaw blinked in gratitude, warmed up by her mentor's words. Usually she got a small praise only when she reached a goal she hadn't been able to reach for a while, but the praise was only a purr or nice words. What Redwing had just said now was the biggest praise she had ever gotten, and because it came from Redwing, it made it very special.

"It was only natural I saved the kit," replied Jaypaw. "And it could have been Shadekit, or Swiftkit. Better take him back to his home and risk getting in a fight than have him die at the claws of a fox or a badger."

"That's good," nodded Redwing. "I am happy to know that you would save a kit in danger, even if it means putting _you_ in danger. Some wouldn't have done what you did today."

Jaypaw lifted her head, surprised. _Who wouldn't?_ she thought. _It would be cruel to leave a kit like that in the open._

"Yes," meowed Redwing, as if reading Jaypaw's mind. "Some wouldn't have saved the kit."

The two she-cats sat in silence for a while, Jaypaw lost in her thoughts. These were mingled with the images of Spiderkit, Rosebriar, Adderstripe, but mainly of the handsome dark grey tom that had watched her all the time.

 _What does he want with me?_ thought Jaypaw, as the image of the tom turned and turned in her head, making her feel a little dizzy. But the fact that the tom hadn't taken his eyes off her didn't really bother her. On the contrary, it made her feel weird, but a good sort of weird. More of a nice weird.

"Well, Jaypaw, time to get back to camp," meowed Redwing, tearing Jaypaw out of her thoughts. "The Gathering is tonight, and you wouldn't want to miss it, would you?" purred her red mentor.

Excitement lit up her face as she heard her mentor. "I'm going to the Gathering?" she meowed, bouncing up and down like a small kit. "Really?"

"Well, if we don't get back soon, you sure will not!" laughed Redwing, as they padded quickly back to camp.

 _Life is becoming better,_ thought Jaypaw as she thought about everything that had happened during the past moon. _Redwing and I are on very good terms, and Breezepaw doesn't really bother me. Nor do I bother her. We don't even shoot venomous looks at each other anymore. Maybe, one day, we'll become friends again. Maybe Nightstorm was right._

But Jaypaw hadn't talked to her parents since that night when Breezepaw had been apprenticed. She didn't really care anyways. Her life was full of wonders and mysteries already, and it was not as if she missed them or anything. She had lived for moons without them, and it wouldn't stop now.

Tonight, ShadowClan would thank her in front of all the other Clans, Jaypaw hoped, and she would be the center of the attention. Nightstorm and Thornfang would regret having behaved that way with her.

 _And maybe I'll see that tom again,_ thought Jaypaw as she followed Redwing into camp. _But this time, I'll ask him his name._

* * *

 **Sooo, quite an interesting chapter, don't you think? I promise to write a bit of action in the following chapters, but next chapter will be the Gathering! There will be no time skip at all between this chapter and the next ^^** **(and I'll post the full allegiances after the Gathering scene)**

 **QOTD: Why do you think RiverClan has been silent all this time?**

 **Thank you for all the reviews I got since the last update! We largely crossed the goal of 70 reviews, and Blue741776 gets to name an important kit, as she was my 70th reviewer!**

 **Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter, and don't hesitate to express your opinion in a...REVIEW!**

 **~Lightning**


	12. Chapter 11

**Here is Chapter 11! Yay!**

 **Reviews:**

 **"Blue741776" - Yes! I mean maybe XD And I didn't plan on her being an anti-hero in the first place, so you'll see her evolution throughout the story (it already has evolved a lot I think, and you'll see a change of mentality in this chapter)! Yep, fishy it is! As for the OC: just create him/her however you want and I'll get an idea of who the OC will be after ;)**

 **"LarkfeatherTheCarolinaWren" - Thank you! And I don't mind you telling me my errors, though I have to tell you that English is not my native language, so that's why. But it's always useful when someone points out my mistakes, so that I can learn not to do them in future chapters. I'm a perfectionist too, so don't worry ;) And I would hope my fanfic was not a trollfic! I spend precious time writing it, and I try to make as few mistakes as possible!**

 **"the Key of Endless Winters" - Bingo! XD Thanks for reviewing, Key ;) And thanks!**

 **"Nausika Universe" - No, you're not an idiot, don't worry! I never really wrote her name in the fanfic before anyways, so it's normal XD And yeah, definitely! Writers have the power to make anything they want happen to their characters! Isn't that awesome? :D As for the names, you are welcome to give me more! But they will appear later on in the story because I already have full allegiances ;)**

* * *

Chapter 11:

Jaypaw felt a spark of excitement at the idea of going to a Gathering for the first time in her life. Sorrelstar hadn't officially announced who would be going yet, but Redwing had promised her she would go, and had gone to tell Sorrelstar only heartbeats ago.

A few moments later, Sorrelstar padded out of his den, closely followed by Redwing. Unable to wait much longer, Jaypaw padded towards the center of the clearing before Sorrelstar even leaped onto Highrock.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around Highrock!" yowled Sorrelstar. At once, heads popped up from inside the dens and a flow of cats started settling down around Jaypaw.

Curiously enough, Breezepaw chose to sit only tail lenghts beside Jaypaw, far away from Nightstorm and Thornfang.

 _Since when did she stop being with Nightstorm?_ thought Jaypaw, intrigued at Breezepaw's sudden change. _Until she was an apprentice, Nightstorm spent all her free time with her, and now Breezepaw seems to refuse her company. Why?_

But Jaypaw's thoughts were silenced as Sorrelstar continued. "The cats going to the Gathering today will be: Poppyblossom, Cloudberry, Shellheart, Sparkfire, Timberfur, Pinefur, Finchflight, Whiteslash, Blackmoon, Fogwhisper, Jaypaw and Breezepaw."

The names of the deputy, medicine cats and elders were of course never pronounced, as it was normal that they should be present at every gathering. But what Jaypaw thought was definitely weird, was the fact that Breezepaw and she both got to go to their first Gathering, but without their parents. Maybe Sorrelstar had seen the tension between them and their kits? Either way, Jaypaw felt it was a curious decision.

As Jaypaw silently followed the chosen cats out of camp, she turned towards Breezepaw who was padding just behind her.

 _What's gotten into her?_ thought Jaypaw, puzzled. _She's usually far away from me, and likes to talk with other cats. I'm supposed to be the anti-social one, not her..._

Breezepaw noticed Jaypaw starting at her, and held her gaze, which, surprisingly, didn't hold any loathing like it usually did.

 _Wow,_ thought Jaypaw, eyes widening. _Maybe she_ really _has changed. And maybe we'll even talk for the first time since the accident!_

Turning her head forward again, Jaypaw felt her heard speed a little. _Yes!_ she thought. _We'll become friends again, I know it._

For the first time since they were kits, Jaypaw felt love for her sister. If Breezepaw was willing to forgive Jaypaw for her accident, then Jaypaw was willing to forgive her sister for the long moments of loneliness she had had as a kit. Oh, how good it would be to be able to speak and share good moments with Breezepaw again! Surprising herself with these thoughts, Jaypaw let out a small purr.

 _I definitely wouldn't have thought that a few moons ago,_ she thought. _I really have changed._

By that time, the group of cats had nearly arrived to Fourtrees. Speeding up her pace, Jaypaw caught up with the front of the patrol and finished the route next to Redwing. As they filled into the moonlit clearing, Jaypaw let out a small gasp of wonder. The four great oaks were splendid and magnificent with the full moon floating over them, and they cast silver shadows on the ground.

Jaypaw had gone to practice alone near Fourtrees sometimes during the night, but they had never looked as dominant and splendid as now. The green of the leaves were shining with what looked like silver dapples, and the bark wasn't just plain brown: it was different shades of brown and silver and white.

"Wow," breathed Jaypaw as she contemplated the beautiful scene. Looking all around her in awe, Jaypaw nearly tripped over a cat's tail and muttered a nearly inaudible 'sorry', captivated by everything that was surrounding her.

By the scent of it, WindCland and RiverClan were already there, but ShadowClan wasn't, yet. Feeling a stab of disappointment at the prospect of not being able to talk to the grey ShadowClan tom before the Gathering started, Jaypaw finally decided to meet other apprentices.

 _Better not dwell on the fact that I can't see him,_ she thought as she padded towards a group of RiverClan and WindClan apprentices. _I have to socialise a little. If I can't in ThunderClan, then I have to at least try with the other Clans. And now's my only chance!_

"Hi," meowed Jaypaw as she neared a group of three apprentices. Two were from WindClan, a tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes and a grey tabby tom with a long tail and green eyes. The other was a RiverClan she-cat, and was a light brown tabby she-cat with a white underbelly, sleek fur and hazel eyes.

"Hello," meowed the WindClan tom, a friendly smile on his face. "It's your first Gathering, right? I haven't seen you before."

"Yes, it is," nodded Jaypaw, relaxing at the apprentices' friendly gazes. "I'm Jaypaw from ThunderClan," she meowed, presenting herself.

"I'm Poppypaw from WindClan," meowed the tortoiseshell she-cat, "and these are Creekpaw from WindClan and Otterpaw from RiverClan," she added, pointing respectively to the tom and the she-cat.

"Nice to meet you," purred Jaypaw, suddenly feeling at ease with the apprentices. It was the first time she had tried to socialise with cats her age, and it hadn't turned out so bad. It was quite nice, actually.

"Nice to meet you too," laughed Creekpaw. "Well, do you want us to show you around a little?"

"Hum, not really, I actually know Fourtrees already," meowed Jaypaw. "But I'll need some help with naming the leaders and deputies, though I have an idea already!" she added so as to engage a conversation.

"Well," started Otterpaw, who hadn't talked yet. "The cat sitting at the right side of the Great Rock is Icystar, my leader," she meowed.

Jaypaw looked up just as Sorrelstar leaped on the rock to join his fellow leaders. The very pale grey tom with white patches called Icystar sent him a cold look, which Sorrelstar returned with a glare. Jaypaw could understand the RiverClan leader's name: his blue eyes were so piercing and, well, _cold,_ that she wanted to shrink and hide from him as much as possible.

 _If looks could kill,_ thought Jaypaw, _then every cat here would be dead already._

"Then, there's Thrushstar, the WindClan leader," continued Otterpaw as she jerked her head towards the cat on the left.

"She's the best," boasted Poppypaw, eyes sparkling. The pure white leader looked magestic in the moonlight, her fur shining much more than Icystar's.

"And the deputies?" inquired Jaypaw, smiling at her new friends.

"The ginger tom with amber eyes is Flamewhisker, the RiverClan deputy," meowed Creekpaw, "and the one talking to Redwing is WindClan's deputy, Gorsebush."

Jaypaw nodded in thanks and studied the deputies closer. The RiverClan deputy didn't look very young: he seemed way older than Icystar himself.

 _Flamewhisker is probably going to retire soon,_ thought Jaypaw. _I wonder who will replace him?_

On the contrary, the WindClan deputy was full of youth, and was maybe only eight to twelve seasons old. Gorsebush was ginger with white patches covering some parts of his pelt, like snowflakes, and had blue eyes. Of course, Jaypaw hadn't seen snowflakes yet, as she had been too young last Leaf-bare to remember them, but Greenflower had told her what they looked like, and Jaypaw couldn't wait to see them in reality.

"Wait! ShadowClan's arriving," meowed Poppypaw suddenly. Jaypaw lifted her head and saw a group of ShadowClan cats swarming in the clearing, hurrying so as not to keep the other Clans waiting.

"This is Cinderstar," whispered Otterpaw to Jaypaw as a beautiful grey tabby she-cat with long fur jumped onto the Great Rock, acknowledging the three other leaders with a dip of her head. Her coat was splendid, and her green eyes reflected the moon's light.

A black cat with amber eyes soon joined the other three deputies at the base of the rock, settling on the other side of Redwing.

 _And that must be Batwing, the ShadowClan deputy,_ thought Jaypaw as the murmurs of the cats died down so as to let the leaders speak. _I wonder if he's here?_ she thought, hoping to see the grey tom from earlier this day. Scanning the newly arrived ShadowClan cats, Jaypaw felt a second stab of disappointment as she didn't see him amongst the crowd. _Maybe he's there, but I can't see him. After all, there are so many cats!_

Jaypaw willed herself to stop thinking about the ShadowClan tom, and focused on the leaders. Cinderstar dipped her head to Sorrelstar, to let him know he should begin. As the oldest of the leaders, it was natural that he opened the Gathering, unless he didn't want to.

"ThunderClan is thriving," meowed Sorrelstar as he stepped forward on the rock. His voice was clear and strong, and held a trace of pride as he continued. "Prey is plentiful, and we have good news for our Clan. Hollyshine is expecting Lionclaw's kits, and has moved in the nursery not so long ago. Our medicine cat apprentice, Rainpaw, has also gotten her full name, and has traveled to the Moonstone the past half moon. She is now Rainpool, full medicine cat of ThunderClan!"

"Rainpool! Rainpool!" chanted the gathered cats.

Jaypaw noticed her friend puff her chest out in pride as she recieved yowls of congratulations from all the Clans.

"That is all I have to say," meowed Sorrelstar as the yowls died down. Stepping backwards, he let the place to Thrushstar.

"WindClan has had no lack of prey in the past moon, and I am happy to say that two of our kits are now apprentices!" purred the white she-cat. "Whitepaw and Mistpaw are not here today, but will be eager to be there at a future Gathering!"

"Whitepaw! Mistpaw!"

Thrushstar moved aside and Cinderstar took her place.

"ShadowClan has two new warriors, and two kits have been born to Silentshadow," she meowed in a clear voice. "Ripplesky and Blizzardstorm are here tonight!"

Jaypaw tried in vain to see where the new warriors were, but couldn't see them. As the Clans chanted their names, she noticed Pinefur exchanging a knowing glance to a pretty silver tabby RiverClan she-cat. Jaypaw felt an uneasy knot forming in her belly as she recognised the she-cat. It was the cat Pinefur had talked to those many moons ago when Jaypaw had surprised them on the border in the middle of the night!

 _I really ought to do something about them,_ she thought, shivering. _But what? I need to think first._

But her thoughts were silenced as Icystar finally stepped forward. The massive pale grey and white leader let his gaze sweep over the assembled cats before talking, and Jaypaw shuddered as it landed on her for a few seconds before passing to another cat.

"Cats of the Clans," started Icystar. "As you know very well, our Clan is growing in numbers. Four new kits have been born to Meadowflower, and Willowfur is expecting kits. With Leaf-bare coming, RiverClan's fish are starting to freeze, and it will take not much time for the streams to freeze as well."

At once, Jaypaw understood very well where this was going, and fixed her gaze on Sorrelstar to see his reaction. The ThunderClan leader seemed calm and composed, but whoever knew him could see rage boiling inside him.

"RiverClan asks ThunderClan to give us Sunningrocks," meowed Icystar after a pause. At once, outraged yowls erupted from the clearing, mainly from the ThunderClan cats, but Sorrelstar silenced them by lashing his tail on the rock.

"Let Icystar continue," he hissed to his warriors.

"Thank you, Sorrelstar," meowed Icystar in a silky-like voice. "As I was saying, RiverClan needs more territory. But we understand the importance of this decision, and we are willing to let you think about it," he meowed to Sorrelstar. "We expect an answer in three sunrises. If you are not willing to give us Sunningrocks by then, it will mean war between our two Clans!"

Again, a chorus of furious growls escaped from the ThunderClan cats, but this time, Sorrelstar did not stop them. Fur bristling, he faced Icystar.

"And do you really think that ThunderClan has less warriors than you?" he hissed menacingly. "No, we also have an expecting queen, and have much more apprentices than RiverClan! Leaf-bare also kills our prey! So why would RiverClan have an advantage over us in Leaf-bare when all year long, you stuff yourself with easily caught fish?!"

Icystar remained calm, despite the insult. "Think about it, Sorrelstar," he meowed with a smirk. "If you do not agree to our terms, you will have deaths on your mind. What good leader would send his warriors to die in an unnecessary battle?"

With this, Icystar jumped off the Great Rock and flicked his tail to gather his warriors. With an apologetic glance, Otterpaw bid farewell to her friends and raced towards her Clan. In a blink, RiverClan was gone.

"The Gathering is finished," meowed Sorrelstar only a heartbeat later, his voice brimmed with anger. "Follow me, ThunderClan."

"Thanks for everything!" meowed Jaypaw as she separated herself from the WindClan apprentices. "It was great to see you."

"You're welcome!" yowled Creekpaw, struggling to make himself be heard amongst all the noise. "Good luck..." he added in a more silent voice.

Jaypaw didn't hear the last part, and padded next to Breezepaw as ThunderClan poured out of the clearing. She hadn't talked to her sister yet, but was determined to do so before they arrived back to camp.

 _Well, I guess I'll have to talk to her first,_ she thought as she looked one last time at the half-full clearing. _And I haven't seen him..._ she thought suddenly, thinking of the handsome grey tabby tom.

But just as she prepared to enter the undergrowth, a pair of deep amber eyes bore into her.

 _He's there!_ thought Jaypaw, as joy filled her from head to tail tip.

The ShadowClan tom seemed to want to tell her something, but he was called by someone of his Clan before he could even open his mouth.

"Blizzardstorm! Come, we need to go," heard Jaypaw as the tom sent her an apologetic glance and turned away.

The speaker had been a blue-grey tabby she-cat with green eyes, who looked like the tom a lot, if not for the different eye colour.

 _So_ he's _Blizzardstorm,_ thought Jaypaw, purring. _And that must be his sister, Ripplesky. I was right. He's only four moons older than me._

With a dreamy look on her face, Jaypaw followed her Clan, forgetting about her resolution to talk with Breezepaw. Her mind was set on Blizzardstorm, and she couldn't help but think about how his name fit so well a handsome tom like him.

 _Breezepaw will have to wait,_ she thought as she remembered that she wanted to talk to her sister. _We're nearly at camp, anyways, and I don't want to stay awake all night. I'll talk to her tomorrow, for sure._

As she padded inside the ThunderClan camp, Jaypaw suddenly felt the urge to sleep. _It has been a very very long day,_ she thought, curling up in her nest, with a content smile on her face.

Yawning widely, Jaypaw closed her eyes, and slowly drifted into sleep, dreaming of blazing amber eyes which looked like twin suns in the light.

* * *

Allegiances:

 **ThunderClan:**

 **Leader:** Sorrelstar: ginger, brown and black tabby tom with amber eyes

 **Deputy:** Redwing: dark red she-cat with blazing green eyes

APPRENTICE: Jaypaw

 **Medicine cat:** Ferntail: brown tabby tom with white paws and amber eyes

Rainpool: white she-cat with grey spots and blue eyes

 **Warriors:**

Poppyblossom: tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Thornfang: brown tabby tom with white paw tips and tail tip and dark blue eyes

Nightstorm: dark grey she-cat with green eyes

Cloudberry: white she-cat with a grey tail and blue eyes

APPRENTICE: Breezepaw

Shellheart: gray mottled tom with green eyes

Rosenettle: brown she-cat with rosy spots and green eyes

Sparkfire: ginger tom with amber eyes

Timberfur: gray and white tom with blue eyes

Brackenheart: calico she-cat with dark green eyes

APPRENTICE: Larchpaw

Harefoot: brown and white tom with blue eyes

APPRENTICE: Sunpaw

Mallowfern: creamy pelted she-cat with amber eyes

Pinefur: dark brown, nearly black tom with amber eyes

Finchflight: pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

Lionclaw: ginger tom with green eyes

APPRENTICE: Seedpaw

Whiteslash: black she-cat with a white slash across her head and blue eyes

Blackmoon: black tom with very dark grey smudges and green eyes

Yellowflame: yellow tom with amber eyes

Fogwhisper: grey and white she-cat with misty blue eyes

 **Apprentices** :

Sunpaw: bright ginger tom with darker stripes and amber eyes

Larchpaw: ginger and brown tabby tom with green eyes

Seedpaw: brown mottled she-cat with amber eyes

Jaypaw: dark, blue-grey she-cat with dazzling blue-green eyes

Breezepaw: pure black she-cat with deep green eyes

 **Queens** :

Squirrelwhisker: bright ginger she-cat with green eyes

Hollyshine: tortoiseshell and white she-cat with blue eyes

 **Kits:**

Gorsekit: light ginger tabby tom with yellow eyes

Shadekit: ginger she-cat with darker spots and dapples and beautiful green eyes

Swiftkit: dark ginger tabby tom with green eyes

 **Elders** :

Greenflower: white she-cat with green eyes

Barkshade: brown tom with amber eyes

Beetlewing: solid gray tom with amber eyes

* * *

 **RiverClan : **

**Leader** : Icystar: very pale gray tom with white patches and piercing blue eyes

 **Deputy** : Flamewhisker: ginger tom with amber eyes

 **Medicine cat** : Gingercloud: white she-cat with golden spots and blue eyes

 **Warriors:**

Oaksplash: blotched brown and black tabby tom with long, fluffy fur and copper eyes, white paws and underbelly

APPRENTICE: Otterpaw

Wolfstep: longhaired grey tom with hazel eyes; former loner

Lilyshine: cream and white she-cat with tiny brown specks and pale blue eyes

Ivytuft: dark ginger she-cat with hazel eyes

APPRENTICE: Rosepaw

Willowfur: light gray she-cat with bright green eyes

Dustynose: light brown tabby tom with spots near his muzzle, tail and legs with yellow eyes

Splashclaw: white tom with a few grey tabby splotches and blue eyes

Springcloud: beautiful tortoiseshell and white she-cat with blue eyes

Pebbleheart: grey mottled she-cat with green eyes

Eagletail: dark brown and black tabby tom with amber eyes

APPRENTICE: Rockpaw

Pounceleap: pale grey tom with white paws and chest and amber eyes

Streamfrost: beautiful pale grey and white tabby she-cat with green eyes

Sandyfoot: ginger tom with darker paws and green eyes

Featherwish: pretty grey and white she-cat with black swirls and blue eyes

Dovefur: solid grey she-cat with green eyes

 **Apprentices:**

Otterpaw: light brown she-cat with a white underbelly, sleek fur and hazel eyes

Rosepaw: brown and white tabby she-cat with green eyes

Rockpaw: dark brown tabby tom with even darker dapples and yellow eyes

 **Queens:**

Meadowflower: cream and white she-cat with fluffy fur and hazel eyes, mother to Valeriankit, Snailkit, Frogkit and Dunlinkit, mates with with Dustynose

 **Kits:**

Valeriankit: white, faintly cream-coloured tom with amber eyes

Snailkit: creamy tom with green eyes

Frogkit: brown tabby she-cat with small amount of ginger, a white underbelly and green eyes

Dunlinkit: chocolate torbie she-cat with hazel eyes

 **Elders:**

Molepelt: little black tom with yellow eyes

Beechleaf: tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

* * *

 **ShadowClan :**

 **Leader** : Cinderstar: grey tabby she-cat with long fur and green eyes

 **Deputy** : Batwing: black tom with amber eyes

 **Medicine cat:** Silverheart: blue-grey she-cat with green eyes

 **Warriors:**

Leafpelt: brown tom with white dapples on his back and blue eyes

Oakvine: light brown tabby she-cat with green eyes

Lizardleap: brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Ferncloud: ginger dappled she-cat with green eyes

Lionfang: dark golden tom with amber eyes

Ashflame: tortoiseshell and white she-cat with sparkling blue eyes

APPRENTICE: Sedgepaw

Rosebriar: brown she-cat with white spots and blue eyes

Mudpelt: dark muddy-brown tom with amber eyes

Adderstripe: blotched brown tabby tom with amber eyes and a white muzzle

Stonedawn: light gray tabby she-cat with black stripes and amber eyes

Foxfur: bright ginger tom with green eyes

APPRENTICE: Hawkpaw

Dewspark: white tom with ginger spots and blue eyes

Stagclaw: brown tom with yellow eyes

Darkpool: dark grey, nearly black she-cat with green eyes

Smokeclaw: solid dark grey tom with amber eyes

Ripplesky: blue-grey tabby she-cat with green eyes

Blizzardstorm: stormy grey tom with darker forepaws and amber eyes

 **Apprentices:**

Sedgepaw: white she-cat with long fur and green eyes

Hawkpaw: brown and white tom with piercing blue eyes

 **Queens:**

Cedarleaf: brown tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes, mother to Spiderkit, mates with Mudpelt

Shimmerlight: beautiful black and white she-cat with blue eyes, mother to Thistlekit and Cloudkit, mates with Dewspark

Silentshadow: very pale ginger she-cat with amber-green eyes, mother to Tawnykit and Brokenkit, mate unknown

 **Kits:**

Spiderkit: dark brown tabby tom with yellow-amber eyes

Thistlekit: black she-cat with fur that sticks everywhere and amber eyes

Cloudkit: white tom with grey patches and blue eyes

Tawnykit: tortoiseshell and white she-cat with green eyes

Brokenkit: ginger tabby she-cat with a broken forepaw and amber eyes

 **Elders:**

Snakefang: black tom with long fangs and amber eyes

Goldenshine: golden-brown she-cat with green eyes

Doeleap: dirty white she-cat with blue eyes

* * *

 **WindClan:**

 **Leader** : Thrushstar: white she-cat with blue eyes

 **Deputy** : Gorsebush: ginger tom with white patches and blue eyes

 **Medicine cat** : Molepelt: brown tom with green eyes

APPRENTICE: Weaselpaw: ginger tom with green eyes

 **Warriors:**

Sootsplash: dark gray tom with even darker soot-color spots on his legs and ears and yellow eyes

APPRENTICE: Sparrowpaw

Birdfeather: black she cat with white paws, belly, and tail tip with green eyes

Nightsky: black tom with faint yellow-ginger spots and stripes and amber eyes

Mudclaw: dark brown tabby tom with grey eyes

Flashleaf: very bright golden she-cat with green eyes

APPRENTICE: Poppypaw

Hickoryfur: grey and white tom with blue eyes

APPRENTICE: Mistpaw

Fuzzypelt: ginger tom with unruly fur and green eyes

Plumtail: grey she-cat with a fluffy tail and amber eyes

Runningstorm: lithe, brown tabby tom with amber eyes

APPRENTICE: Creekpaw

Swallowtail: brown and cream tabby tom with a small tail and yellow eyes

Heatherstorm: tortoiseshell and white she-cat with blue eyes

APPRENTICE: Whitepaw

Wrenwing: grey tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

Needleclaw: ginger tabby tom with amber-green eyes

 **Apprentices:**

Weaselpaw: ginger tom with green eyes

Sparrowpaw: light brown and white tabby tom with amber eyes

Poppypaw: tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes

Creekpaw: grey tabby tom with a long tail and green eyes

Mistpaw: white she-cat with a few grey patches and blue eyes

Whitepaw: grey and white tom with amber eyes

 **Queens:**

Pricklestorm: longhaired brown mackerel tabby she-cat with green eyes, mother to Seedkit and Sandkit, mates with Swallowtail

Larkwing: pale brown tabby she-cat with green eyes, mother to Owlkit, mates with Nightsky

 **Kits:**

Owlkit: large pale brown tom with bright orange eyes, and one black foot

Seedkit: longhaired brown spotted tabby she-cat with amber eyes, white belly and paws

Sandkit: sandy-brown she-cat with green eyes

 **Elders:**

Shrewnose: little black tom with a darker muzzle and green eyes

* * *

 **This was a very important chapter (in my opinion), because there are many hints about what will happen in the future!**

 **QOTD: Do you think that Jaypaw will break the code for Blizzardstorm? And what do you think Blizzardstorm wanted to tell Jaypaw?**

 **Thank you so much for all the reviews I got! I'm at 85! Could we try to get to 100 by the next two chapters? Please? The 100th reviewer will have as special treat: he/she will be able to name a character of this fanfic, and I'll make a one-shot on the character!**

 **Hope you enjoy this fanfic so far!**

 **~Lightning**


	13. Chapter 12

**Hello! This chapter wasn't as quick to be posted as the previous ones, but updates should be more regular now (once a week or every two weeks).**

 **Reviews:**

 **"the Key of Endless Winters" - Yes, it definitely would spark things up! As for what Blizzardstorm wanted to say: suspense... You may or may not discover it in this chapter.**

 **"Tigerflight" - Yeah, RiverClan's always scheming and scheming evil plans XD Thanks! I like Icystar too ^^ As for Jaypaw's power: I can't reveal why it's like that yet. So maybe you're right, and maybe you aren't! Jaystorm...will it happen? You'll see as the story goes on! :D**

 **"Feathermist" - These two names were given by a Guest when I accepted OCs. And we're in the Warriors world, so anything is possible! Have you ever heard cats talk? ^^**

 **"Blue741776" - Thank you! I love Frostkit ;) Both the name and the description are great! Can't tell you yet when she will appear, but I won't forget!**

 **"Akitsune Lune" - Thanks for reviewing all my chapters, and for all the time you spent helping me! I'll try to improve my story based on what you told me.**

* * *

Chapter 12:

Jaypaw woke up late for the first time in her life. Redwing had promised her the day off, and Jaypaw had already slept in for half the day. Yawning, she padded out of the empty apprentices' den and blinked as the bright rays of sunlight blinded her eyes. Because it was late leaf-fall, the sun rose early and set early too, which made the days shorter but harder because the dawn patrol was sooner.

Looking around her, Jaypaw noticed that half the Clan had already gone on patrol or hunting parties, but Sorrelstar, Redwing, and the senior warriors, which were Poppyblossom and Thornfang, were talking silently and urgently near Highrock.

Suddenly, understanding hit Jaypaw like lightning.

 _Of course!_ she thought, feeling stupid for her lack of perspicacity. _Icystar's threat! Redwing can't mentor me today: she has much more important matters to discuss with Sorrelstar! I wonder what he will decide... Judging by his reaction at the Gathering, he won't give up Sunningrocks that easily._

Finally deciding to do something more useful that sitting in front of a den, Jaypaw padded out of the ThunderClan camp to hunt by the ShadowClan border.

 _Like this, I'll find prey for the Clan, and maybe I'll even see Blizzardstorm,_ she thought, a stupid smile appearing on her face.

Jumping to her paws, the blue-grey she-cat crossed the clearing and padded out of the camp, surrounded instantly by tall trees starting to loose their leaves. Some of them were already laying on the ground, and the orange-brown colour of the leaves contrasted with the bright green grass and moss that sometimes sprouted near the base of the trees.

Jaypaw loved the grass more than the sandy pebbles, as it felt softer under her feet, and that was one of the main reasons she preferred hunting near Snakerocks. The ground had more pebbles near the RiverClan border.

Halfway through the territory, Jaypaw heard the voices of mentors and apprentices talking.

 _Breezepaw!_ she thought, recognising her sister's voice at once. _I had forgotten... I really need to talk to her!_

 _Well, as soon as the both of us are alone, we'll definitely clear everything between us,_ decided Jaypaw, a determined look on her face. _But first: Blizzardstorm._

As she neared the ShadowClan border, Jaypaw paused for a second.

 _And if he's not here?_ she thought, suddenly anxious. _Will I wait all day? No, I can't... The Clan will wonder where I've gone._

Finally getting back to her paws, Jaypaw decided what she would do. She would wait at the ShadowClan border by catching prey, so that her time wouldn't be wasted. Like this, she could also see if Blizzardstorm was waiting for her.

Excitement and anticipation fizzed in her belly, and her whiskers quivered at the thought of meeting a ShadowClan warrior in broad daylight, even though she knew he meant no harm.

 _But what if somebody discovers us?_ she thought, anxious again. _I'm not doing anything wrong anyways. I can just say we saw each other, and decided to have a friendly conversation, which is nearly the truth._

Feeling a little frustrated with all the questions that seemed to pop up in her head, Jaypaw raked her claws on a tree so as to let her stress come out.

"I feel better now," she purred as all her energy was released. Suddenly, the blue-grey she-cat noticed a small movement at the base of a nearby tree.

Slowly, she dropped onto her paws and crouched low, padding very silently towards the little grey mouse she had spotted. The mouse didn't seem to notice her, and Jaypaw leaped and caught it almost at once, without even letting time for the mouse to squeak.

"Nice catch!"

Jaypaw's heartbeat seemed to accelerate as she heard the voice. _Is it him?_ she though, not daring to turn around. _I never heard his voice before. Is it Blizzardstorm?_

 _Well, turn around, and you'll see,_ _mouse brain!_ meowed her conscious.

Anxiety gripping her heart, Jaypaw spun around too quickly, and nearly fell on the side, only barely catching herself with the help of the tree.

Indeed, the smoky grey tom with darker tabby stripes was sitting only tail-lengths beside her, his tail twitching in amusement. His amber eyes gleamed like the twin suns Jaypaw always saw when meeting his gaze.

"Blizzardstorm!" meowed Jaypaw, a little shocked to see him. She hadn't really expected him to come, even if she had thought about it all day long.

"Hello," meowed the handsome grey tom. "I see you have gotten my name," he laughed, eyes twinkling.

 _How can he be so carefree and nice?_ thought Jaypaw, eyes widening more than they already were. _I'm an enemy warrior! I could tell my Clan!_

"Yes, at the Gathering yesterday," replied Jaypaw, trying to keep her voice composed. "I'm Jaypaw, by the way," she added after a moment of silence.

The tom laughed again. "I know," he meowed, "you told Rosebriar yesterday, and I heard."

 _Oh, how stupid I am! Of course he knows my name,_ thought Jaypaw, embarrassed at the thought. Blushing, she shuffled her paws, in a lack of words.

"Hey, don't worry," meowed Blizzardstorm. "Everyone makes mistakes and forgets things! Once, I even told the same cat the same thing at least three times in a day!"

Feeling more comfortable, Jaypaw laughed. "I guess that must have been very embarrassing," she meowed quietly. "But telling me that wasn't the reason you came, right?" meowed the grey she-cat tentatively.

"Well, I could ask you the same question," replied the tom, revealing no hints about what he had wanted to tell her the day before. "Why are you here, at the border?"

"I thought you would be there too," blurted Jaypaw, blushing again.

"Then you guessed correctly," meowed the smoky grey tom, eyes bright with excitement. "I am here."

"Oh, I already saw that!" meowed Jaypaw, finding it more and more easy to talk to him as time went by. "But why are _you_ here?"

"Same as you," purred the tom. "Since I knew that you thought I was going to be there, I concluded that you would be there, so I came."

"Well, that I noticed too!" meowed Jaypaw, getting a little bit annoyed. "But there was a reason I came, and you know it quite well," she meowed, looking at him straight in the eyes.

"No, I don't," meowed Blizzardstorm, tilting his head to the side in an innocent manner.

"Yes you do!" insisted Jaypaw.

"No."

"Yes!"

"No."

"YES!"

"Well, maybe."

"Maybe?! What's that supposed to mean?!" meowed Jaypaw, exasperated by the fact that Blizzardstorm was playing with her.

"It means that, _maybe_ I know why you came here, and _maybe_ not," replied the grey tabby tom, amusement glinting in his blazing amber eyes.

"Oh, stop it!" cried Jaypaw. "Tell me what you wanted to say yesterday, before your sister called you!"

"Ha! I knew you would say it eventually!" meowed the tom jubilantly. "You came because you wanted to know what I wanted to tell you, right?"

"YES," meowed Jaypaw, accentuating the word.

"Well..." started Blizzardstorm. "Well..."

"Go on!" meowed Jaypaw impatiently. She was starting to grow tired of this game, and wanted to slap her tail on his annoying grey tabby face, but thought better than that. If she did, he probably wouldn't tell her, and she wanted to know.

"Oh, come on, a bit of patience," meowed Blizzardstorm, an annoyed smile on his face.

"Patience?" cried Jaypaw, swishing her tail on the ground, nearly sending the mouse she had caught flying in the air. "I don't have patience anymore! You already took it all!"

"You clearly don't have a lot then," purred the smoky grey tom, stepping aside as Jaypaw barrelled into him, suddenly having had enough of all his babbling.

"Hey!" he meowed indignantly. "Why did you attack me? And now you're on my territory!" he laughed, jumping on her.

Pinned to the ground, Jaypaw fumed silently. _Why am I here in the first place?!_ she thought as she tried to shake him off her.

Blizzardstorm finally stepped off her, and started grooming his pelt. Startled, Jaypaw started growling at his sudden lack of interest in her, and stormed back on her side of the border.

"Well, if you don't want to tell me, I'm going back to my camp," she meowed as she padded back towards the undergrowth. Sensing no reaction, she spun around one last time to see Blizzardstorm looking at her with mischief in his gaze.

"Why aren't you trying to stop me?" she yowled. "It was _you_ who wanted to see me!"

"Simple," meowed the grey tom calmly. "Firstly, it wasn't me, it was _you._ I wanted to see you yesterday, but who told you to come today? And secondly, I knew you would turn back. You want to know so much what I wanted to tell you that you wouldn't have found the courage to go back all the way to your camp."

 _How—how does he know?_ thought Jaypaw, eyes widening. _I'm the one supposed to read inside heads! But it only works on Pinefur for the moment..._

"Haha!" laughed Blizzardstorm. "You look so funny when you're angry and startled. I love the faces you make!"

 _Faces?_ thought Jaypaw, her jaw opening wide. _I make faces?!_

"Yes, you do," purred the tom as if reading her thoughts.

Jaypaw was too startled to answer, and instead just gaped at him. "Hey!" she exclaimed after a moment. "I don't make faces," she desperately tried to justify herself.

"Well, you can think whatever you want, but _I_ think that you make faces," meowed Blizzardstorm.

Both cats could have gone on and on, but Jaypaw suddenly had the sense to look up, and gasped as she noticed that the sun was already nearly setting.

"I have to go!" she meowed frantically, looking around to pick up her mouse.

"Why?" meowed Blizzardstorm, oblivious to Jaypaw's hurry. "It isn't sundown yet."

"You're so mouse-brained!" cried Jaypaw, feeling anger flushing up her face. "I have a life you know? I'm not just a toy that can be played with all day long!"

"I—I didn't mean that," stammered Blizzardstorm, backing away a few steps. "I—"

"I don't care what you mean!" growled Jaypaw. "I have more important matters to attend to that hearing _you_ saying nonsense about me making faces! Have you even heard what happened at the Gathering?"

"Yes, I—"

"Stop it!" yowled Jaypaw. "I. Don't. Care."

Flipping around, Jaypaw grabbed her mouse, suddenly understanding that this tom had only been trying to bother her. How stupid she had been to fall in his trap! He probably had no friends in his Clan and just wanted to annoy someone.

"Look, Jaypaw," started Blizzardstorm, desperately trying to hold her back. "I'm sorry—"

But Jaypaw was already gone, racing blindly across the ThunderClan territory. By the time she arrived near the entrance of the camp, Jaypaw had had time to ponder at least five times what had just happened to her.

 _And I thought that he wanted to see me because, because..._ Suddenly, lost, Jaypaw didn't know what to think. That Blizzardstorm had purposely made her waste half of her day, only to add a little fun to his probably boring life!

 _Stuck-up, arrogant, furball, that's what he is,_ thought Jaypaw as she entered the ThunderClan camp. _And who cares only about himself!_ she added in her thoughts, fuming.

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid me!_ she nearly cried. _Why did I go to the ShadowClan border to meet him in the first place? That was maybe one of the biggest mistakes of my life!_

 _And Breezepaw..._ thought Jaypaw, suddenly thinking about the black she-cat. _She's so much more important! I hadn't realised that I loved her so much... I really am a horrible daughter and sister._

Not to Jaypaw's surprise, nearly all of ThunderClan was assembled in the clearing, with the exception of maybe one or two cats. Padding to the fresh-kill pile, Jaypaw dropped her pitiful prey and purposely sat down near Breezepaw, who looked at her with startled eyes.

 _I know that Sorrelstar will talk about the battle with RiverClan, but right now, I_ need _to talk to my sister,_ thought Jaypaw, breathing deeply.

"Breezepaw, I—"

"I know, Jaypaw."

The blue-grey she-cat looked at her sister in amazement, taken aback by this sudden interruption.

"You—you," she stammered, unsure of what to say.

"I know what you want to tell me," murmured her black sister, "and I forgive you. I forgive you for not talking to me all this time, and _not_ for the accident that wasn't your fault."

"Oh, Breezepaw," meowed Jaypaw, joy bursting inside her as if the sun was exploding in her heart. "I am so sorry for everything. Everything that happened between us all these moons was a mistake. I know that the accident wasn't really my fault, but I still can't help but feel guilty about what happened to you. I should have talked to you, I should have tried, all this time. It was _I_ who abandoned you, and I'm sorry for it all."

"You know," started Breezepaw, pressing against her sister to comfort her, "when I said I hated you, I really didn't mean it. I was just so depressed and sad, and I thought that I would never become a warrior. But here I am, training as a normal warrior apprentice. I never thought it would be possible then, and I'm sorry for making you feel guilty about everything."

"It's not your fault," meowed Jaypaw, eyes earnest. "I should have understood the way you felt, and I should have been there for you. A real sister wouldn't have abandoned her sister because of harsh words said only once. I should have waited with you, talked with you...and I did nothing like that. I'm sorry."

"Stop saying that, I told you I have forgiven you," purred Breezepaw, looking back at her sister as if all those moons of isolation between them hadn't happened at all. "I also didn't try to talk to you, because I thought _you_ hated me because of all the care Nightstorm gave me and not you. I thought you had turned bitter and really wanted nothing to do about me, but I only saw now that none of that was true."

"I did feel bitter," replied Jaypaw, looking at the skies as the sun finally disappeared behind the trees. "But I understood that the bond we share cannot be broken, whatever the cause. We were young then, we couldn't understand that. Because I now know that I _need_ you, Breezepaw. I _need_ you to be my sister, share moments with me, and I will never, ever abandon you again like I did when we were kits."

"Me neither," meowed Breezepaw, her heard warming up at Jaypaw's words. "I need you too, sister, and I'll never trade out bond against anything else."

"Never?" meowed Jaypaw, eyes brimming with joyful tears.

"Never," purred her black sister, her one green eye meeting Jaypaw's blue-green ones.

"I love you, Breezepaw," murmured Jaypaw, letting her head drop on Breezepaw's shoulder.

"I love you, Jaypaw," echoed Breezepaw, tilting her head enough to touch Jaypaw's. "You're my sister, and I'll always be there for you, from now on."

"I'll always be there for you too," whispered Jaypaw. "Do you know that you are the most wonderful cat that I've ever met?"

"Really?" purred Breezepaw. "During all this time, it is only now that you tell me that?"

"It is only now that I realise it," laughed Jaypaw. "Greenflower was right," she added silently to herself. "Littermates are really the best thing a cat can have."

"I'm so glad you're my sister, Breezepaw," the blue-grey she-cat added a little louder, so as to let her sister hear her.

"And I'm so glad you're mine," replied Breezepaw.

Both she-cats straightened their heads and looked at the sky, whose red, orange and yellow colours were slowly turning to light blue, and then dark blue. The stars had yet to appear, but Jaypaw could swear that a small, bright, white star was glimmering in the distance, as if watching the two sisters protectively.

 _Thank you, Greenflower, for making me realise that Breezepaw is the most precious cat I have,_ thought Jaypaw as she contemplated the sky. _And thank you, StarClan, for guiding me to this._

Entranced by the present moment, Jaypaw's mind was focused on her sister, all thoughts about Blizzardstorm gone.

"Hey, Jaypaw!" murmured Breezepaw in the grey-she cat's ear. "Sorrelstar's there. I wonder what he'll decide about Icystar's threat."

"Yeah, me too," nodded Jaypaw as Sorrelstar jumped on Highrock. It felt so good to be able to talk to Breezepaw like that again. Oh, How she had missed that, and had not even realised it!

"Though I think we'll fight," she added. "I don't really see him or Redwing abandoning Sunningrocks like that."

"Yeah, you're probably right," meowed Breezepaw, eyes now focused on the meeting.

Seeing as nearly all the Clan was already gathered in the clearing, Sorrelstar didn't even need to meow the traditional words. Instead, he went straight to the point.

"Cats of ThunderClan!" he yowled, silencing every present cat instantly. "As you know, the Gathering has brought bad news to our Clan. Icystar has threatened to take Sunningrocks, and will if we do not fight against him and his Clan."

Angry yowls erupted from the clearing, even though every cat knew what had been said already.

"Icystar has proposed to take Sunningrocks without a battle, and has chosen to flip his argument so as to make me the culprit if we fight for the rocks," continued Sorrelstar, swiping his look over the gathered ThunderClan cats. "But I have decided to take this risk. Even though I know that injuries and losses can be avoided, we cannot give up hunting grounds that easily! ThunderClan will fight!"

At once, all the cats in the clearing yowled in agreement, and Jaypaw joined in with them, sharing an amused glance with her sister, even though the situation was delicate.

Cats would probably die, and RiverClan would probably be way more prepared for this battle than them. No wonder ThunderClan hadn't heard about them since Jaypaw's kit-hood.

"The battle will take place in two days," meowed Sorrelstar, as the cheering died down. "It is too late to practice today, but I want only two hunting patrols per day, so that we may all concentrate on training our youngest members. Redwing, Cloudberry and Shellheart will be in charge of supervising the battle training, and Sparkfire and Rosenettle will lead tomorrow's hunting patrols. I want everyone to wake up at dawn, and two warriors will sit vigil during the night. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes!" yowled the Clan in agreement.

"Then you can go and rest," meowed Sorrelstar, preparing to jump off Highrock. "The two next days will be very busy for us all, and ThunderClan needs you all to be in shape and ready to take on all of RiverClan."

Jaypaw shared a glance with Breezepaw, and wasn't surprised to see her own excitement reflected on her sister's face. It would be their first battle! And even though Breezepaw had had less training than her, Jaypaw knew that she was skilled enough to fight.

"This is so exciting!" purred Breezepaw as both sisters padded towards the apprentices' den, unaware of the stares of their clanmates, who seemed startled to see them reunited. "Our first battle... I can't wait to claw those mangy fish-eaters!"

"Yeah, me too!" agreed Jaypaw as they settled down in their respective nests. "Hey, do you mind if I move my nest closer to yours?" the blue-grey she-cat meowed tentatively.

"Sure," meowed Breezepaw, eyes bright. "I would love that."

"Good night, sister," purred Jaypaw as she curled in a tight ball next to her sister.

"Good night, Jaypaw," replied the black she-cat, closing her eyes.

Yawning, Jaypaw closed hers too, feeling content and whole for maybe the first time in her life. Blizzardstorm wasn't bothering her at all anymore, and she couldn't care less. Breezepaw loved her, and she loved her sister back, and that was what mattered the most.

They were sisters after all.

* * *

 **Okay, so I feel like my writing was crap for this chapter, and that everything was rushed up. I know there are many important things happening right now, but I don't really feel like trying to re-write this chapter. Anyways,** **hope you still liked reading it!**

 **As the 100th reviewer, Akitsune Lune has named the character I will make the one-shot on: it is Ripplesky, Blizzardstorm's sister. I won't write it yet, because I need more things to happen before posting it, but I'll tell you when it will be ready!**

 **(For info, I'm stopping the QOTDs, because I feel like they are of no use, and the questions are sort of stupid.)**

 **There will be a lot of action next chapter, as you may have guessed...**

 **Stay tuned! Next update will probably be up by the end of next week!**

 **Please review.**

 **~Lightning**


	14. Chapter 13

**Here I am, with Chapter 13!**

 **Reviews:**

 **"Blue741776" - Thanks! As for Blizzardstorm: that will remain a mystery for now... Well, they could have, but I wanted them to be together again and couldn't wait, so I did it XD**

 **"Tigerflight" - Thank you so much! Yeah, you're right ;)**

 **"Silentsong" - Thank you so much for reviewing every single chapter of this fanfic! As for your question: maybe, and maybe not...**

* * *

Chapter 13:

"Swipe higher! Duck lower! No! Not like that!"

Jaypaw hissed as Redwing reprimanded her every move. Clumsily getting back to her four paws, Jaypaw faced her opponent again. In front of her sat a smug-looking Seedpaw, her fur not at all ruffled like the blue-grey she-cat in front of her.

Redwing had taken out all of the apprentices with her out for a last training session with their mentors. It was the day before the battle, and Jaypaw hadn't stopped training except to sleep during the past two days. Sorrelstar had announced that they would be attacking at dawn, at the exact same date Icystar had posed at the Gathering. RiverClan would be prepared, but so would ThunderClan!

Facing Seedpaw again, Jaypaw crouched and eyed her opponent as if she was an enemy warrior.

 _I'm going to shred that stupid face of yours, Seedpaw!_ she thought, angrily lashing her tail on the ground.

"Jaypaw! Stop moving your tail!" growled Redwing who was watching the apprentice from the lowest branch of a nearby tree. "You'll alert all of ThunderClan's members and prey with all that noise! I wouldn't be surprised if even the elders back in camp could hear you."

 _Shut up, I'm trying to concentrate,_ she thought, as Seedpaw smirked. _Lucky her, Lionclaw's not even there. He went on a hunting and border patrol this morning, and he isn't back yet._

 _But Redwing only wants what's best for you,_ added a tiny voice in her head. _You know very well that all of this is for you to improve. And she knows you can do it! Even though Seedpaw has had two more moons of training, you can beat her! Small mistakes don't matter if you concentrate._

 _Yeah, sure,_ thought Jaypaw, rolling her eyes.

"Okay," she replied to Redwing, recomposing herself.

"Good," meowed Redwing, narrowing her eyes so as to examine her every movement. "Now, you can start again, and this time, pay attention to what I tell you, and try to ameliorate your moves! You'll face much more experienced cats than Seedpaw tomorrow, and they won't sheath their claws!"

 _Hey! She didn't even beat me!_ thought Jaypaw. _The last mock fight was only a draw..._

 _But you didn't really concentrate,_ argued her conscious. _There was a moment when Seedpaw could easily have clawed your belly, and you wouldn't have had a draw then._

 _Okay, okay, stop bothering me now!_ thought Jaypaw, annoyed at all the reprimands she was getting from both her mentor and her conscious which never seemed to leave her alone.

Sharing a glance with Breezepaw, who was preparing to fight Larchpaw, Jaypaw felt gratitude as her sister sent her an encouraging dip of the head.

"You can do it!" whispered the black she-cat in her sister's ear, so as only to be heard by Jaypaw. "Take that smug look off her stupid face!"

Jaypaw laughed and winked at her sister, focusing back on her 'target'. It was so good to have a friend like Breezepaw, now that they were friends again. They could talk about anything, and understood each other perfectly!

 _Seedpaw's just an apprentice,_ she thought, examining the different options she had. _I can beat her, and I've had much more experienced training than her!_

"So, are we going to wait all day or are you going to start?" meowed Seedpaw, giving the blue-grey she-cat an exasperated look.

Jaypaw smirked, and didn't let the time for Seedpaw to think before she tackled her over and sent her a blow to the side.

"As you wish," she replied haughtily as Seedpaw scrambled up to her paws, bewildered at Jaypaw's rapidity and strength.

Facing each other again, both apprentices circled each other for a while, one or the other preparing to strike again. This time, it was Seedpaw who attacked first. But what the mottled brown apprentice hadn't calculated was that Jaypaw had seen her coming, and had jumped away before even being touched. The blue-grey she-cat was now behind Seedpaw, and leaped on her, tackling her to the ground for the second time.

Hissing, Seedpaw swiped Jaypaw's head with her paws, trying to aim her eyes so as to blind her for a second. But Jaypaw held the other apprentice firmly, and pressed her paws on the ground, stopping any movement directed from the other apprentice's paws.

Preparing to yowl in victory, Jaypaw opened her mouth, but instead of words coming out, sand came in. Choking, the grey apprentice jumped off Seedpaw as she tried to spit the sand her opponent had sent into her mouth with the help of her tail.

"Ha!" meowed Seedpaw as she scrambled up to her paws, a glimmer of satisfaction on her face as she saw Jaypaw struggle with all the sand in her mouth.

Furious at her lack of perspicacity and concentration, Jaypaw stopped trying to clean the sand off her muzzle and growled as she faced Seedpaw again. Paws outstretched, she sprang and landed on Seedpaw's back, determined not to slip off the bigger apprentice's back.

She had learned this move not too long ago, at the practice session with Pinefur and Fogwhisper, before the latter had been made a warrior, and Jaypaw now mastered it completely.

Seedpaw tried to shake her off, but failed and collapsed as Jaypaw made herself very heavy. Jaypaw jumped in time off the brown apprentice, and swiftly pinned her down for the third time.

This time, Jaypaw made sure that Seedpaw's tail was also pinned, and the other apprentice was now completely immobilised.

"Well done, Jaypaw," meowed Redwind after a few moments of inactivity from both apprentices. "You can let Seedpaw up."

Jaypaw stepped off the older apprentice, and returned the glare she received from Seedpaw.

"I'll get you, one day," hissed the mottled brown she-cat, looking at Jaypaw hatefully.

"You can try," hissed Jaypaw back, stalking away from her. Seedpaw was _so_ disagreeable and annoying! Well, she _was_ the daughter of Pinefur...

 _Speaking of which,_ thought Jaypaw. _I really need to investigate more on him. I saw her looking at that RiverClan cat at the Gathering, and I wouldn't be surprised if he told her everything that happens in ThunderClan!_

"Enough," snapped Redwing, looking at both apprentices sternly. "Now, Seedpaw, you should have payed more attention when Jaypaw leaped at you, you should have been able to avoid her getting on your back. But it was a smart move of you to stick your tail in Jaypaw's mouth. I can't say I saw that move a lot."

Seedpaw nodded in thanks at the last part, but her fur was now ruffled and she looked like she had just been stuck in a bramble bush. Blushing in embarrassment, she started grooming her fur, ignoring the smug glance she received from Jaypaw.

Beside them, Breezepaw and Larchpaw had also finished their fight, and were being taught by Cloudberry and Brackenheart how to improve all of their moves.

"Well, we're finished for the day," meowed the bright ginger deputy, jumping from the branch she was sitting on. "Come on, let's get back to camp and get prepared for the battle."

Both apprentices nodded, and fell to pace behind Redwing as she motioned to Cloudberry, Brackenheart and their apprentices to follow them.

"Great job, Jaypaw!" murmured Breezepaw excitedly as she padded next to her sister. "I glimpsed moments of your fight with Seedpaw while I fought Larchpaw. You certainly beat her!"

"Yeah," smirked Jaypaw, murmuring back in her sister's ear. "It feels so good to see Seedpaw like that! I wish I could do it again..."

"You'll probably have the opportunity to do so," agreed Breezepaw. "It's not like they're going to be warriors that soon. They have about two moons of training left!"

"Yep," nodded Jaypaw as the small patrol neared camp.

The sisters fell silent for a few moments, before Breezepaw talked again.

"I wonder why Sunpaw didn't train with us today," she meowed suddenly. "Harefoot said he wanted to make him practice with older warriors, but he can't be much more advanced than us, can he? I mean, Seedpaw's obviously the best of her litter, and you beat her..."

Jaypaw shrugged. She had no idea about why Harefoot had chosen to make his apprentice train with older warriors, but she really didn't care anyways.

"No idea," she replied as she ducked her head to enter the ThunderClan camp.

The blue-grey she-cat was surprised to see that the clearing was already full, despite the fact that it wasn't sundown yet. Sorrelstar clearly hadn't called the meeting yet, but cats were probably becoming restless, and wanted their leader to make his announcement as soon as possible.

"You can go and eat," meowed Redwing, turning around to the four apprentices. "Cloudberry, Brackenheart and me are going to report to Sorrelstar, and then the meeting will take place. But be quick."

Jaypaw nodded to her mentor and snatched a piece of prey for her and Breezepaw to share. Both sisters gulped it down quickly and went to sit in the front of the crowd which was already starting to form. A few heartbeats later, Sorrelstar padded out of his den, followed by Redwing, Cloudberry and Brackenheart, and jumped on Highrock. The two warriors went to sit near Rosenettle and Sparkfire, while Redwing stood near the rock.

"Cats of ThunderClan!" yowled Sorrelstar as the last cats gathered beneath him. "Tomorrow, we will fight against RiverClan for the rocks that are ours! We cannot loose them, as our Clan is growing bigger in numbers, and all of our territory is needed to hunt on!"

Yowls of agreement and excitement followed the black, ginger and brown leader's statement.

"The cats who will fight tomorrow will be: Poppyblossom, Thornfang, Nightstorm, Cloudberry, Timberfur, Rosenettle, Harefoot, Pinefur, Lionclaw, Whiteslash, Blackmoon, Yellowflame, Fogwhisper, Sunpaw, Seedpaw, Jaypaw and Breezepaw!"

 _Yes! I'm going to fight!_ thought Jaypaw, adrenaline rushing inside her veins. Beside her, Breezepaw was also quivering with excitement.

"Ferntail will also come with us, but will stay away from the battle," continued Sorrelstar. "He will be there in case of an emergency."

The brown tabby medicine cat nodded respectfully at his leader as they made eye contact, and Sorrelstar resumed.

"All of those who won't participate in the battle will guard the camp," he meowed solemnly. "Shellheart, you will be in charge of protecting the queens along with Sparkfire, in case RiverClan prepares a second attack on our camp, or even if ShadowClan or WindClan take this opportunity to attack us while we are short in numbers."

Murmurs spread around the gathered cats at the possibility, but doubtful glances were exchanged between a few warriors. WindClan and ShadowClan were in good terms with ThunderClan at the moment, and it would be stupid to break that trust.

"Brackenheart, you will keep guard with Mallowfern, and Finchflight and Larchpaw will be in charge of the elders' den," meowed Sorrelstar. "That's it for today, and rest well: tomorrow will be a challenging day."

The ThunderClan cats started to disperse as their leader jumped off Highrock, and most of them went to their respective dens.

The atmosphere was tense, and every cat knew that the battle would maybe cost their lives, except two carefree apprentices who had no reason to fear death. They were too young to even understand, and couldn't help but be excited at the thought of battling enemy warriors for the first time.

...

"Jaypaw, wake up! It's time for the battle!"

Jaypaw yawned as she felt paws prodding to her side. Breezepaw was looming over her, green eyes wide and excited. Getting to her paws, Jaypaw followed her out of the den, noticing its emptiness. The other apprentices must already be outside.

Indeed, the three older littermates were chatting by the entrance of the apprentices' den, and Jaypaw heard Larchpaw complaining about not going to the battle.

"That's not fair!" he meowed to Seedpaw and Sunpaw. "Why do you all get to go and I don't? I'm even older than Jaypaw and Breezepaw!"

"I know, Larchpaw," meowed Sunpaw, though Jaypaw discerned a touch of annoyance in his voice. "It's not fair. But that's the way it is. You can't just go and ask Sorrelstar to change everything just for you! It has to be that way."

"And you'll get plenty of other opportunities to fight RiverClan," growled Seedpaw, claws unsheathing at the thought. "They won't leave us alone after this battle, whoever wins it."

 _You're right,_ thought Jaypaw as she stretched beside Breezepaw. The sun wasn't up yet, and the sky was still black, but Jaypaw could feel that it was already nearly dawn.

As more and more warriors emerged out of their dens, Jaypaw couldn't help but glance at Breezepaw in worry. The atmosphere was very tense, and everyone could feel it. RiverClan was way more prepared than them, and ThunderClan had a slight disadvantage. The only good thing was their numbers: they had more active warriors than RiverClan at the moment.

"It is time for the battle," meowed Sorrelstar, tearing Jaypaw out of her thoughts. "ThunderClan, follow me!"

This time, there was no noise as every participating cat padded after Sorrelstar and out of camp. Jaypaw and Breezepaw walked at the end of the line of cats, their pelts brushing side by side.

"Hey," whispered Breezepaw. "We fight together, okay?"

"Okay," nodded Jaypaw, shoulders relaxing at the prospect of being there for her sister. "That seems like a good plan. We'll beat them all!"

"Definitely," purred Breezepaw, eyes glinting at the thought. "They're not going to understand why they will be beaten! ThunderClan's gonna win."

"Yep," meowed Jaypaw, but she didn't really believe in that. RiverClan had more chances of winning, but ThunderClan had some too. And the battle would be bloody.

Suddenly, the cats in front of the blue-grey she-cat halted, and Sorrelstar's face appeared clearly in the moonlight.

"I want us to separate ourselves in two groups," he meowed silently, so as not to make much noise. "Timberfur, Harefoot, Whiteslash, Blackmoon and Sunpaw will wait before attacking. If we attack in smaller numbers, RiverClan will think that we are outnumbered, and will think of an easy victory. Everyone whom I have just named will wait in the shadows, and attack at my command. Am I clear?"

"Yes," whispered the five cats in question.

"Then we shall go," meowed the ThunderClan leader grimly, as he turned around and padded towards Sunningrocks.

As they neared the end of the undergrowth, Sorrelstar flicked his tail and the small patrol that was supposed to attack later dispersed in the trees, making it look like the ThunderClan attackers weren't that big in numbers.

Sorrelstar and Redwing were the first to pad out of the trees, just as the first rays of sunshine filtered through the branches. The sky was slowly turning purple and yellow, and would soon become entirely blue.

Jaypaw wished good luck to her sister before padding out of the undergrowth when her turn came. Sure enough, Icystar was there, along with more than a dozen of his warriors. Jaypaw noticed only two apprentices in their midst, or, more precisely, two smaller cats. Otterpaw wasn't one of them.

Counting them quickly, Jaypaw sighed in relief as she noticed that RiverClan had less warriors than them, but had more without the five cats hiding in the shadows.

 _But numbers don't count more than skill,_ she thought. _I hope we trained enough to fight them..._

"So, Sorrelstar," meowed Icystar icily as the ThunderClan cats approached them. "I see that you haven't agreed to my terms, or you wouldn't have brought all of those warriors here," he added, showing his teeth.

"No, we will not let you have Sunningrocks without a battle," meowed Sorrelstar calmly, pelt not even bristling.

"It is your wish," growled Icystar, though his eyes betrayed that he had already known that ThunderClan would attack. "RiverClan, attack!"

In a huge caterwaul, cats from both Clans broke the line and jumped on their enemies, without even waiting for another heartbeat. Feeling herself being taken in the midst of the battle, Jaypaw sprang at her closest enemy without thinking, and swiped at the cat's muzzle with all her force.

The cat, a dark ginger she-cat with hazel eyes that had been there at the Gathering recoiled in shock, as blood dripped in small droplets on the ground. Fury overtaking her pretty face, the warrior leaped on Jaypaw and tackled her over, scoring down her grey flank with all her force.

Yowling in agony, Jaypaw flailed her paws in the air and swiped randomly, hoping to touch the she-cat in one spot. But her paws were too short, and Jaypaw thought better than to continue swiping in the air. Jumping back to her paws, she leapt on her attacker again, and bit her front paw firmly while at the same time turning around so as not to receive blows from the ginger she-cat.

At the same time, Breezepaw was fighting against a pale grey and white tom just beside her, but was struggling to hold on to him as he tried to shake her off. His bigger weight made it easy for him to unbalance her, and that was just what happened. The black she-cat fell to the ground, and was pinned down before she had time to get up.

 _Breezepaw!_ thought Jaypaw, her mind racing. _I need to help her! But I need to get rid of this she-cat first._

Thinking quickly, Jaypaw let go off her opponent's front paw and grabbed her tail, pulling hard. At once, the she-cat flipped around, and the both of them were now face to face again.

An ear-splitting yowl rang in Jaypaw's ears, and she turned around just in time to avoid her barreling opponent and see Breezepaw's belly being sliced open by the grey and white tom.

"BREEZEPAW!" she screamed as she saw blood pouring out of her sister's belly. "RUN!"

But Breezepaw was too weak to go, and her forces were starting to drain out of her.

 _Quick, quick, quick,_ thought Jaypaw, panicking at the thought of her sister dying. _QUICK!_

But what decided it was the smirk her opponent gave her. "You'll loose the battle, kit," she spat as Jaypaw leaped on her.

Fury and determination filling her up, Jaypaw raked her claws with all her force on the she-cat's face, then used her smaller size to go underneath the tall she-cat's belly. Raking her claws as she passed under her, the blue-grey she-cat felt satisfaction fill her up as she repaid to the RiverClan she-cat what had just been done to her sister.

Yowling in pain, the she-cat collapsed, and Jaypaw seized the chance to claw her ears and send her running back to her territory.

 _One less,_ she thought, adrenaline rushing through her. Flipping around, Jaypaw raced towards where her sister lay, and swiped at the grey and white tom just as he prepared to give the black she-cat the killing blow.

Sending him rolling off her sister, Jaypaw growled menacingly, protecting Breezepaw by stepping in front of her.

"How dare you hurt my sister!" she yowled as she barrelled into him. "And try to kill her!" she added as she hit him with her head on the chest.

The tom stumbled backwards for a few moments, but regained his balance quickly.

"She was weak," he spat as he faced the blue-grey she-cat, eyes blazing with anger. "And you are, too!"

Hissing, Jaypaw used the same tactic she had used on the ginger she-cat, and slid under the tom, raking her claws on his belly. But it didn't work out as well, because the tom had seen her coming, and had managed to grab her tail at the last moment, making it impossible for Jaypaw to score her claws with all the force she had.

Spitting, Jaypaw rose her paws into the air and kicked the tom away, sending him rolling away for the second time. But the tom was still unhurt and had only three or four scratches inflicted by Breezepaw beforehand.

"Come on, apprentice, see if you can beat me," he snickered as she padded menacingly towards him.

Thinking back to her fighting lessons, Jaypaw pretended to leap on him again, but veered to the side at the last moment, destabilising the tom who had started running towards the other side. This time, Jaypaw didn't wait a heartbeat and jumped on his back, clawing at his sides as much as she could. Finally deciding to leave him alone, she slid off him and raked her claws on his face, just as she had done to the she-cat, leaving a huge scar from his right ear to his muzzle.

The RiverClan tom yowled in agony, but Jaypaw saw that he didn't intend to go back to his territory just yet, because his amber eyes were still gleaming hungrily like before.

Preparing to attack again, Jaypaw crouched low, but was stopped as a yowl split the air.

"ThunderClan, attack!"

 _The other patrol!_ thought Jaypaw jubilantly. _They're coming to help us!_

The RiverClan tom in front of her seemed startled by this sudden change of situation, and was even more when Jaypaw swiped at his head, blinding him for a second. The tom, unable to see with all the blood on his eyes, swiped at Jaypaw, but the she-cat was quicker than him and clawed him more before he even had time to touch her.

Sending him away with a last kick, Jaypaw looked proudly as he stumbled and turned around to his territory, jumping into the stream and away from the battle as quickly as he could.

Looking around, Jaypaw noticed that RiverClan was being forced away, and that the ThunderClan warriors were bravely holding on. Her thoughts becoming blurry with the blows she had received, Jaypaw padded to her sister, knowing that ThunderClan would manage without her help. They had nearly won anyways, and with the five warriors that had just come to their help, RiverClan was now outnumbered and destabilised.

Indeed, only a few heartbeats later, Jaypaw heard the words she was hoping to hear.

"RiverClan, retreat!" yowled Icystar as his warriors backed away and turned around towards their territory, running. Redwing was facing the RiverClan leader, hissing, and her forehead was oozing with blood, but Icystar was in a much worse state.

His pale grey, nearly white pelt was splattered with blood, and Jaypaw couldn't even tell where his white patches were in all that red.

Spitting, the RiverClan leader lingered a while longer, eyeing the victorious ThunderClan cats with hatred, before flipping around and disappearing in his own territory.

Letting her shoulders sag in relief, Jaypaw turned towards her sister, and her heart quickened as she noticed the huge slash in the black she-cat's belly. The RiverClan tom really hadn't spared her.

"Someone, please help!" she wailed desperately as she noticed Breezepaw's breathing becoming more and more shallow.

At once, Ferntail ran out of the bushes where he had hidden during the whole fight, in case of an emergency, and stopped as he neared Breezepaw's body.

"I'm here, don't worry," he meowed as he quickly plastered cobwebs on Breezepaw's belly.

"Will she be all right?" meowed Jaypaw, turning around frantically. "She's survived already, she can't die now!"

"Let me work," whispered Ferntail, applying the cobwebs on the gash with a surprising rapidity. "Talking won't help her, but I'll think she'll live."

Murmuring her thanks, Jaypaw looked at her sister one last time before deciding that she was being taken care of by the brown tabby medicine cat well. She couldn't do anything more for Breezepaw, and her sister was probably unconscious anyway.

Jaypaw padded away from the busy medicine cat and her sister to find herself face to face with her father. Eyes widening in shock as he placed his tail on her shoulders, she padded beside him towards where most of ThunderClan had assembled as soon as the battle had been finished.

Feeling too tired to argue with Thornfang, Jaypaw followed him silently, feeling dread drop in her belly as she neared the circle of cats. Making her way through them, Jaypaw stopped abruptly as her brain took in the image that had just appeared in front of her.

Nightstorm's dark grey body lay unmoving in the middle of the circle of cats, and Jaypaw let out a gasp as she raced towards her mother. She wasn't breathing.

"NO!" yowled the blue-grey she-cat, tears starting to run down her face. Feeling all her strength finally drain out of her, she slumped down and buried her face in her mother's fluffy cold fur, her past anger towards her gone.

 _Why did that happen?_ she thought as she broke down in sobs. _Why? Why did Nightstorm have to die, of all cats?_

 _You wanted your parents to pay for how they treated you, didn't you?_ murmured her conscious.

 _No! Not that way!_ thought Jaypaw, angry at herself for the pain she realised she must have inflicted to her mother all these moons.

 _I didn't want her to die... I only wanted her to realise that she had hurt me, and Thornfang too. But now she's dead, and we'll never be able to settle things between us! I'll never even be able to say sorry..._

Jaypaw suddenly felt a warm pelt settling down next to her, and she received the comforting licks without even moving the slightest bit.

"Jaypaw," whispered the cat who had curled down beside her. "Nightstorm loved you, and she never stopped loving you, even when you ignored her attempts to cheer you up. You can't change the past, but you can make the future. Make your mother proud, and show her that all her efforts haven't been in vain."

Jaypaw cried as she looked up in her father's dark blue eyes which looked so much like hers, and suddenly felt like a lost kit in a world too big for her.

"Thornfang," she murmured as she snuggled closer to him. The brown and white tabby tom hugged her tightly, his grief-stricken face clear in the sunlight.

The day was too beautiful for this. The blue sky and shining sun didn't match Jaypaw's grief and sorrow, nor did it calm down her broken heart.

"I know, Jaypaw, I know," whispered her father for only her to hear. "I haven't been a good father to you, and I regret it with all my heart. But now that Nightstorm's gone, you and Breezepaw are all that I have left. I love you and your sister so much, Jaypaw..."

Understanding filled up Jaypaw at those words. All this time, her lousy attitude and persuasion that she was in the right had made her oblivious to other cats' feelings. But now that she and Breezepaw were on good terms again, the blue grey she-cat was becoming more and more open-minded, and she now realised that even though her relationship with her parents had been weird and felt wrong, they had always loved her and loved her still.

 _But now Nightstorm's gone, and I'll never be able to really know her, to really feel like she was my mother,_ thought Jaypaw. _Nightstorm, Thornfang, you'll always be my parents, and a piece of me has always loved you, even though I never really knew it until now._

"Come on, Jaypaw," meowed Thornfang as he lifted his daughter's head with his tail. "We need to go back to camp now. Your sister is alive, and we need to be there for her. We can do nothing more for Nightstorm. She is in StarClan now, and she will watch over you, always."

Gazing at her father's eyes with sorrow and love, Jaypaw nodded, and Thornfang lifted Nightstorm's body with the help of two other warriors.

Tail dragging and head low, Jaypaw followed the cats away from Sunningrocks and into the undergrowth, too much aware of the eerie silence that was surrounding her.

 _Why is it only now that I realise everything?_ she thought, angry at herself for all the mistakes she had made in her too small life.

But her question stayed unanswered as she padded away from the battle ground. The gash in her side was still bleeding, but Jaypaw had other things to worry about. Injuries could wait, her heart couldn't.

 _Nightstorm, if you can hear me, I'm sorry,_ she thought, looking at the clear blue sky. _I love you._

* * *

 **I hope the ending was okay, I didn't really know when to end it, but I finally decided to end it there. I'm sorry if that was a sad chapter, but...yeah. That's just how it is.**

 **I keep getting less and less reviews for each chapter, and it's really easy just to write a small word in the box below and click the button! Reviews make my day and motivate me to continue. So please: REVIEW!**

 **~Lightning**


	15. Chapter 14

**Here I am with the next chapter! It's a little shorter than the previous chapters, but I wanted to post it this week, or it would have been delayed... Sorry if it's a bit of a filler chapter, but there's an important part there that I needed to insert somewhere soon, so here it is!**

 **Reviews (thank you so much! I got 7 for last chapter! Yay!):**

 **"Tigerflight" - I know, I nearly cried while killing Nightstorm... But nearly. I didn't though. As for Breezepaw... You'll see in a few seconds!**

 **"Akitsune Lune" - Thank you so much for your reviews! I'm glad these chapters were better than the ones before, and thank you for all of your precious advice! As for the '** **conscious' thing, you're probably right XD And thanks for the praise on my writing style! It made my day ;)**

 **"Nausika Universe" - Thank you for your wonderful reviews! And yep, English isn't my mother tongue, and I'm not totally bilingual, but close XD Thank you so much!**

 **"Silentsong" - Yeah, me too... But that's how it turned out.**

 **"Guest" - Thanks.**

 **"Mistydawn" - Thank you for reviewing! Yeah, last chapter was sooo long! But surprisingly, it didn't take me much more time to write it than the other chapters did ^^**

 **"Blue741776" - Thank you so much! Dun dun dun... Will Jaypaw really change that much? Or was it just with the shock and grief? You'll see in this chapter, and the ones following!**

 **On to the chapter (finally!).**

* * *

Chapter 14:

Jaypaw padded back to camp with four pieces of prey in her jaws. Placing them on the fresh-kill pile, the blue-grey she-cat stretched, enjoying the hot green-leaf sun. Leaf-fall would come soon, but the cats had yet another moon or so of warm weather.

Breezepaw was recovering slowly, but Ferntail and Rainpool's efficiency had saved her sister from joining StarClan too early, and Jaypaw was more than grateful to them for that.

Nightstorm's death had affected Breezepaw the most, and Jaypaw had been the one to tell her when her sister had felt well enough. The black she-cat had been very close to their mother, even when she had ignored her a little since her apprenticeship. Breezepaw had told Jaypaw that she had stopped talking to Nightstorm for a while because she felt that her mother was overprotective, and wanted some independence.

But the dark grey she-cat's death had sent Breezepaw into a small depression, which had been cleared away by Thornfang and Jaypaw's care for her during the hard half-moon succeeding the battle against RiverClan. Both sisters were now so close that nothing could ever separate them, and Thornfang was acting more and more like a father to them.

Sighing in content, Jaypaw padded towards the medicine cat's den, where Breezepaw spent most of her time, and called to Rainpool who was sitting just outside of it, warming in the sun.

"Hi Rainpool," meowed Jaypaw, feeling especially joyful. "Is Breezepaw here?"

Rainpool waved her tail in welcome and purred at Jaypaw's question. "No," she meowed. "But you'll be happy to hear that she's fully healed now! She went to train a little with Cloudberry, so that her mentor could see what they needed to work on. She hasn't trained for more than half a moon!"

"These are great news!" purred Jaypaw excitedly. "I'm glad she's well again. I missed training with her, even though we didn't train a lot together before the battle."

"It's really good to see you two close again," meowed the pretty grey and white dappled she-cat. "Both of you didn't deserve that separation."

"Thanks," replied Jaypaw, settling down next to Rainpool for a moment. It was nearly sunset, and the patrols were coming back to camp as time flew by.

But something was bothering Jaypaw. She knew that Sorrelstar was going to announce something important at dusk, but she had forgotten what precisely. Suddenly, it came back to her.

 _The apprentice ceremony! How could I forget?!_ thought Jaypaw, jumping to her paws at once. _Gorsekit, Shadekit and Swiftkit are becoming apprentices today! I need to talk to them before the ceremony._

"Sorry, Rainpool," she meowed apologetically to the medicine cat. "I have to go. I just remembered something important!"

Rainpool laughed and flicked her tail in farewell as Jaypaw trotted towards the nursery, where Shadekit was watching Gorsekit and Swiftkit mock fighting with judging eyes.

"Hey," she meowed as she approached the beautiful ginger she-cat. "Are you excited for your apprentice ceremony?"

At the blue-grey she-cat's words, Shadekit's eyes brightened with excitement. "Of course!" she meowed, tail flicking impatiently. "I can't wait anymore. The nursery's been empty since you and Breezepaw became apprentices, and it was so boring being a kit! And we're already a little more than six moons! I wonder why Sorrelstar apprenticed us later than the others."

"I think it's because of the battle with RiverClan," meowed Jaypaw, ears pricked forward so as to hear Breezepaw coming when she would come. "He wanted you to be safe, and not start training and going into battle too early."

"But the fight was half a moon ago!" retorted Shadekit. She had grown during the past moons, and her littermates and her were now nearly as big as Jaypaw and Breezepaw.

"I know," sighed Jaypaw, "but it's Sorrelstar's decision. But now you get to be apprenticed at the best time!" she meowed on a brighter note.

"Yeah," agreed Shadekit. "I guess we're lucky not to have been made apprentices at the time of the battle. Squirrelwhisker would have been worried about us if we ever went into a fight with only a few days of training."

 _Since when has she grown so mature?_ thought Jaypaw, examining the ginger she-cat curiously. _Well, it_ is _true that I haven't been paying much attention to the Clan lately. I've had my whole set of problems..._

At this precise moment, an image of a smoky grey tabby ShadowClan tom appeared in her mind. Jaypaw nearly growled at the thought, and cursed his beautiful eyes.

 _Why does_ he _always appear during the wrong moments?!_ she thought angrily, lashing her tail on the ground.

"Jaypaw! Watch out!"

Jaypaw jumped in the air, startled by Gorsekit's warning. She had been too absorbed in her thoughts, and hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings.

"Sorry!" she apologised as she noticed that her tail had been swiping sand on the three littermates' faces. "I didn't mean to do that," she added, embarrassed.

"It's fine," meowed Swiftkit, "but Squirrelwhisker will be mad now. We have sand all over us!"

"I'm so sorry!" meowed Jaypaw, eyes widening. "I know it's your apprentice ceremony, you should look perfect! How can I help you clean this mess?"

Shadekit and Gorsekit burst out in laughter at Jaypaw's apologies.

"You've grown soft," joked Shadekit, looking at Jaypaw strangely. "The old Jaypaw would have snapped at us and gone away."

"Hey! That's not true," answered Jaypaw, faking indignation. "I wouldn't have done that!"

"Yes you would," laughed Gorsekit. "You've changed, you know?"

"Do you really think so?" meowed Jaypaw, looking thoughtful for a moment.

 _Did I really change?_ she thought. _I couldn't have in this short a time... Did my relationship with Breezepaw and my parents really affect my character?_

"Yes, definitely," purred Swiftkit. "You're way nicer now!"

Jaypaw growled playfully and jumped on the ginger tom, pinning him down in a heartbeat.

"Do you mean that I wasn't nice before?" she meowed menacingly, a glint of mischief in her eyes.

"No! I didn't mean that!" squeaked Swiftkit, trying to wriggle out of her grasp. Jaypaw let him go and eyed the littermates playfully.

"Hum," she replied, skeptical.

Right then, the blue-grey she-cat heard paws thumping on the ground, and looked up just in time to see her black sister emerging from the bramble entrance, Cloudberry at her heels. Both she-cats were carrying three pieces of prey.

"See you when you're apprentices!" meowed Jaypaw to the kits as she raced towards her sister. "Breezepaw!" she meowed happily. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," purred Breezepaw, eyes sparkling with happiness. "Today was awesome! It was my first time out of camp since the battle, and I couldn't wait to do something useful and run in the woods!"

"Does your wound still hurt?" added Jaypaw as she followed her sister to the fresh-kill pile, where she deposited her catches just on top of Jaypaw's.

"Nope, not at all!" meowed Breezepaw. "Sometimes, I think Ferntail leaves his patients way more than they should in the medicine cat's den! It healed a while ago already. I feel nothing!" she meowed proudly, letting Jaypaw examine her belly.

The scar was barely visible, and Breezepaw's fur had grown back, covering it nearly completely.

"That's wonderful," purred Jaypaw. "I was so scared that it would become infected, you know? When you were hurt, at the battle, I really feared for your life. You were nearly not breathing anymore!"

"I know," replied Breezepaw. "You told me twenty times already!"

Jaypaw laughed and both sisters padded side by side towards the middle of the clearing, where cats were starting to assemble. Turning her head around towards the nursery, Jaypaw spotted Gorsekit being licked by Squirrelwhisker, and smirked as she heard his meows of complaint. Shadekit was already well groomed, and her sleek fur shone in the late sunlight. Swiftkit was next, but unlike Gorsekit, the little tom didn't complain.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around Highrock for a Clan meeting!"

Jaypaw turned her attention back to the Highrock, where Sorrelstar had just jumped on. The Clan was mostly assembled, and Jaypaw moved a little to the side so as to let the three littermates go to the front of the crowd.

"One of the most important ceremonies in a Clan is the making of new apprentices," purred Sorrelstar as he gazed at the three young cats. "Gorsekit, Shadekit and Swiftkit, please come forward."

The three littermates padded forward, and Jaypaw noticed Squirrelwhisker and Sparkfire beaming at them proudly, tails entwined.

"Gorsekit, from this moment until you become a warrior, you will be known as Gorsepaw. Rosenettle will be your mentor," meowed Sorrelstar as Gorsepaw touched noses with the brown and ginger she-cat. "Rosenettle, you are an excellent warrior, determined and skilled. I trust you to pass on to Gorsepaw all these qualities."

Rosenettle dipped her head to Sorrelstar, and Jaypaw watched as Shadekit and Swiftkit became Shadepaw and Swiftpaw, respectively apprenticed to Timberfur and Whiteslash.

"Congratulations," she whispered to them at the end of the ceremony. Shadepaw's eyes shone at the praise, but Jaypaw didn't have the time to tell them anything more because the new apprentices were getting surrounded by their family and friends.

Breezepaw laughed as Jaypaw got squished between Squirrelwhisker and Lionclaw, who was Squirrelwhisker's littermate from a younger litter.

"Come on, Jaypaw," meowed Breezepaw as Jaypaw abandoned trying to talk to her younger friends. "Leave them alone for a second," she purred.

"Yeah, you're right," agreed Jaypaw as both sisters padded away of the cluster of cats. "I need to leave them be."

"You really have changed, you know?" meowed Breezepaw after a while.

"Why does everyone keep telling me this?" laughed the blue-grey she-cat, a little embarrassed. "Swiftpaw told me the exact same thing earlier this day."

"Well, you're much more open-minded, and you're not as grumpy as you used to be before," replied her black sister.

"Really?" meowed Jaypaw thoughtfully. "Maybe you're right..."

 _She is right,_ she thought as she looked at the sky, noticing the first star appearing in the dark blue aether. _I have changed. Now, I understand..._

The blue-grey she-cat's eyes shone brightly in the brightening moonlight, and a sense of never-ending peace floated in the night air.

...

Jaypaw was chasing a squirrel. She ran, turning right, turning left, zigzagging across the forest, missing trees by inches. Suddenly, the squirrel jumped on a tree, and made its way along the trunk, carefully but gracefully picking its way with its tiny claws.

Springing on the lowest branch, Jaypaw eyed the squirrel for a moment, before leaping in the air to try to snag it before she fell on the ground. But she had miscalculated her move, and the squirrel leaped upwards as Jaypaw fell downwards.

"Nice try."

Jaypaw spun around, not bothering to hide her shock. Behind her sat a gorgeous pure white she-cat, with fur so long she wanted to bury her head in this feathery pelt.

"Who are you?" meowed Jaypaw warily.

"My name is Fallingsnow," meowed the white she-cat. Her eyes were of a very unusual light blue, and Jaypaw felt a weird sensation tickling in her head as the Fadingsnow stared at her intently. "And I have come to give you advice and strength."

"What do you mean by 'advice and strength'?" meowed the blue-grey she-cat, as shivers crossed down her spine. "I already have a mentor, and I'm strong enough for my age."

"I didn't mean it that way," purred the silky white she-cat.

Eyes wide and calculating, Jaypaw examined Fallingsnow. Judging by her name, she must have been a Clan cat, but something told her that the stars speckling her fur weren't StarClan's.

"You're dead, aren't you?" started Jaypaw cautiously.

"Yes, I am," meowed Fallingsnow, not moving nor blinking. "I know what you think, and you're right. I am not from StarClan."

"Then, who are you, really?" persisted Jaypaw. She wanted to know everything about that she-cat before giving any information about herself. Not that she doubted that Fallingsnow didn't already know. But she wanted to be sure.

At that question, the white she-cat purred and sat down with her tail curled neatly around her paws.

"Make yourself comfortable, I have a long story to tell you," meowed Fallingsnow, watching as Jaypaw did as she was instructed.

"A long time before today, before the stars were twice smaller in numbers than they are now, the Clans faced no troubles whatsoever," started the pure white she-cat, her fur fluffed up like a cloud. "That is, because in each Clan, a few cats had special abilities, that prevented the Clans from going into battles and hating each other. It was a time of peace, quiet, and everyone felt secure and happy."

Jaypaw frowned, she had never heard of a time period like this. The elders and queens had always told her that RiverClan and ThunderClan had been fighting over Sunningrocks since the beginning of the Clans, and that there had always been rivalries between ShadowClan and WindClan, or ShadowClan and ThunderClan.

"I know it seems unrealistic, but that time existed, and I was a new warrior when everything changed," meowed Fallingsnow.

"Now, before I continue, I want you to think about why you, of all cats, should know this and not someone else," questioned the dead cat, her blue orbs watching Jaypaw intently.

"I don't know," replied Jaypaw, puzzled. "But what were the special abilities of the cats back then?"

At that statement, Fallingsnow laughed. "That was the answer I wanted to get," she meowed mysteriously. "What do you think were the abilities of the cats?"

"I don't know! That's why I asked!" meowed Jaypaw irritably.

"Didn't something happen to you, while touching a precise cat, twice in your life?" questioned Fallingsnow, a smile tugging at her lips.

Jaypaw's eyes widened suddenly, and understanding filled her at once.

"Read minds..." she whispered as dread filled her up. "They could read minds... But so can I! What does that mean?"

"Don't worry, little one," meowed the white she-cat reassuringly. "I mean you no harm: quite the contrary. But powers like you have do not exist anymore, or, if they exist, they are so feeble that even the cats who have them can't really hear thoughts. But you are special, little Jaypaw."

"Why can I hear minds then, if the power doesn't exist anymore?" meowed Jaypaw, now too curious to be wary.

"Because there is one, every thousand seasons, who still has the power," murmured Fallingsnow. "And you are the one."

"I am the one..." repeated Jaypaw in a loss of words.

 _This is extraordinary,_ she thought as all the words of the she-cat sunk in. _Really extraordinary._

Suddenly, all the questions and thoughts she had been holding all this time flew back to Jaypaw's memory.

"Fallingsnow, I don't underst—"

"Stop," interrupted Fallingsnow, placing her tail on Jaypaw's mouth. "Don't waste your breath. Questions will come, but everything at a time. Let me continue my story first."

"Cats didn't really know we had the power to read minds, but StarClan did. At first, they were happy that we were there to save the Clans from trouble, but one reckless cat who could read minds used his power for evil, and everything changed. Our clanmates started looking at us like we were vermin, and even argued that we should be driven out. Eventually, StarClan sided with them, and made us all outcasts, and didn't permit us to have kits, or the power would spread. StarClan started to be wary of cats like us, and forced the dead who had the power to leave their skies," meowed Fallingsnow, as Jaypaw looked at her with wide eyes.

"All of us died after a while, and there was no cat who had the power anymore. But the thing is, that even with the power gone, it remained possible that a cat could have it, once in a thousand seasons. That cat is you," purred Fallingsnow. "You will not be able to transmit it to your children, but you still have our power."

"Now, there are different degrees of mind reading," continued the white she-cat. "Every mind reader is born the same, with the same level of power, but it evolves little by little. The most powerful can read everyone's minds at their will, and don't need to touch them. Then, there are the ones who can read all minds, but need to touch the cat in question. Others can only read minds of cats from their family, and the lowest case is when you can read only one mind, and it can be any random cat."

"Which power do I have?" whispered Jaypaw, bewildered at all this information.

"Nobody knows," replied Fallingsnow. "As I said, every cat starts with the same power, the one in which you can only read one mind. It is only at twelve moons old that your power will start, or not, to increase. Nevertheless, your power will not develop if you don't train it. It is like everything else. If you don't train your mind, your power will fade."

"Wow," murmured Jaypaw, entranced in her words. "But why is it Pinefur's thoughts that I hear?"

"As I said, every cat who has the power starts with the same abilities, and that means you can read a random mind. You do not choose which cat it is," meowed Fallingsnow, eyes kind.

Jaypaw nodded slowly, as understanding filled her little by little. So she _was_ special. She was the One. A thousand seasons ago, there had been one like her. And a thousand seasons from now, there would be one like her.

"So you can read minds too?" whispered Jaypaw.

"Yes, I can," replied Fallingsnow, closing her strange eyes for a heartbeat. Opening them, she stared at Jaypaw intently and opened her mouth to speak.

"Yes, you are special, but you are not the first one, and you won't be the last," meowed the white she-cat.

"That was exactly what I was thinking a while before," meowed Jaypaw, amazed at Fallingsnow's capacity. "You have the highest power, don't you?"

"Yes," came the curt answer. "But we have talked enough for today," added the dead she-cat. "I know that most of your questions remain unanswered, but the time will come when you'll know every secret of our past and your power."

Jaypaw opened her mouth to protest, but no sound came out, and she felt herself fade away slowly, in an incapacity to resist. The last thing she saw was a pair of very light unusual blue eyes, staring at her intently from far, far above.

* * *

 **Sooooo, what do you think about all of this? The power, the group of cats... And what do you think will happen to Jaypaw? Will she be consumed by ambition? Does Fallingsnow have plans?**

 **Next chapter will be from another cat's point of view, and anyone who guesses who the cat is will have virtual cookies!**

 **It will be a shorter chapter (I think), but normally, it should be exciting!**

 **See you next week and please review!**

 **~Lightning**


	16. Chapter 14 and a half

**Here I am with a very special chapter, Chapter 14 ½! Nobody guessed the point of view from which it would be, so you'll see who it is right now!**

 **This chapter is very short, but that is only because it is a half chapter ;)**

 **Reviews:**

 **"Tigerflight" - Nope, it's not him! And did you mean Blizzardstorm? You're welcome! I didn't want to kill her anyways XD**

 **"Blue741776" - Yeah, she is special! And will be even more when you read this chapter ^^ Nope, it's neither Breezepaw, nor Pinefur, nor Blizzardstorm! It's funny because two of you forgot his name XD**

 **"Silentsong" - Thank you so much! And no, it's neither of them ;)**

 **On to the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 14 ½:

"Are you sure she won't fail?"

"Wasn't it too soon to talk to her?"

"Really, could—"

Fallingsnow hissed as she received a swarm of question from the cats beside her. "Shut up!" she yowled so as to silence the growing thunder of voices. "I can't reply to a hundred questions at once!"

The cats who had just talked became quiet, and their eyes betrayed their embarrassment as the fluffy white she-cat advanced towards them, the stars speckling her fur luminous in the moonlight.

"Jaypaw won't fail, because we have learned from our past errors," meowed Fallingsnow, letting her gaze sweep over the cats in the clearing.

"A thousand seasons ago, the cat who had the power had one of the lesser powers, and used it to his advantage instead of helping his Clan," spat the white she-cat as she pictured the face of a very dark brown tabby tom with striking amber eyes. "The Dark Forest used him and his power to their advantage, and he died prematurely, joining their ranks instead of ours."

"But who says that Jaypaw won't follow his paw steps?" questioned a grey tabby she-cat with green eyes a very special shade of jade. "She has, after all, ambition, and will do anything she can to obtain what she wants."

"Ambition is necessary to our plan, Greypearl," replied Fallingsnow, her weird blue eyes scanning the crowd. "But Jaypaw will be guided by me, and I will make sure that if she ever sets paw into the Dark Forest, she will never return to it. I will also block her connection with StarClan."

Uneasy murmurs spread around the gathered cats, but the clearing became silent again as Fallingsnow raised her tail to signal them to stop.

"StarClan has to pay for everything they have done to us, and Jaypaw is the key to our deliverance," continued the white she-cat. "They do not know that the power still exist, and even in the skies, they will never be able to know that Jaypaw has the ability to read minds. The Dark Forest knows, but StarClan is too naïve to even consider it possible. This is why we will win," purred Fallingsnow. "The Dark Forest will never tell StarClan, because their dream is to overpower them, just like us. They know we plan to take over the skies, and we will forge an alliance with them when the time comes."

"As for Jaypaw," continued Fallingsnow. "She will understand that her heart lies with us, and will obey my every orders and commands. Her heart has become softened by her family, but I will make sure that she understands that the only place that will welcome her for who she is is here. We have lived long enough in this world of shadows and darkness. AetherClan will see the sun once more!"

A chorus of agreeing yowls erupted from the cats in the clearing, and Fallingsnow smiled at her cats' enthusiasm.

Since the appearance of their power, she had been the only one able to read minds without touching the cat in question. She was the most powerful of them all, and she would rule over StarClan and the Dark Forest once everything was over.

 _Little Jaypaw has no idea what awaits her,_ thought Fallingsnow, purring at the thought. _But she won't regret it. Once StarClan will be by my feet, I will let her rule by my side. Because if ever I die, she will be the one and only successor of the ruler of these skies. I_ was _the only one with the greater power, but now..._

She had told the young she-cat that nobody knew which power she had, but Fallingsnow did.

The white she-cat snickered at the thought of making StarClan pay for what they had done to her friends and family. With Jaypaw on their side, everything would be much easier. Oh! How good it would feel to overthrow them!

 _We are so few in numbers,_ thought Fallingsnow, _all because of StarClan's fear and cowardice. We had earned respect and lived well in StarClan, and they mercilessly killed as many of us as they could! But now, it is time for revenge._

She hadn't told the blue-grey she-cat everything of course, and had tweaked the reality a little. Their power didn't really need to be trained, because it would never disappear, not even in death. Fallingsnow had only told her that because she needed to find a way for Jaypaw to come back to them willingly. She knew that the she-cat wouldn't want to loose her power, and would come to 'train' it.

But the blue-grey she-cat didn't know that, of course. Once she would be twelve moons old, her power would develop all of a sudden, and she would have to face a hard time trying to master it. Fallingsnow would teach her how to block the thoughts of others, which was primordial if she didn't want to go mad. _That_ was the real training.

And since the living couldn't read the minds of the dead, she had no fear that her plan would be discovered by the young she-cat.

 _Jaypaw,_ thought Fallingsnow as she settled down in her favorite spot, hidden just beneath a weeping willow tree. _She is the only one who can save both the living Clans and_ _my group. But beware, little one, do not fly too high..._

...

In the ThunderClan camp, slept a blue-grey she-cat, curled in a tight ball next to her black sister. Her flank moved rhythmically up and down, and her heartbeat marked the seconds that were streaming by quickly, very quickly, and never to be repeated again.

* * *

 **AetherClan's allegiances:**

 **Leader:** Fallingsnow — pure white she-cat with extremely long and fluffy fur, and very very light blue eyes

 **Cats with the power (their degree of power is unknown):**

Greypearl — pale grey tabby she-cat with striking jade-green eyes

Swirlingwind — dark brown, lithe tabby tom with very dark green eyes, that shine differently depending on the light

Waveshine — blue-grey she-cat with darker swirls and bright yellow eyes that seem too bright

Leafstorm — ginger dappled she-cat with striking very pale green eyes

Blackwhisper — pure black tom with pale amber, nearly white eyes

Scorchflame — bright ginger tabby tom with flashing deep green eyes

Riverpool — tortoiseshell she-cat with startling dark blue eyes which seem to have white specks in them

Twilightsky — very dark grey tom with white spots and amber eyes, one lighter than the other

Risingmoon — black and white she-cat with violet-blue eyes

Silkfeather — very pale grey she-cat with long, solf fur and orange, nearly red eyes

Lightningpaw — handsome ginger and brown mottled tom, with stripes only covering his paws and tail, and turquoise eyes

Strikepaw — grey tabby tom with black ear tips, tail tip and pale grey eyes

* * *

 **What did you think about this chapter? Was it unexpected?**

 **Anyways, I hope you liked reading this, and stay tuned for the next update! It will probably be up on Friday, as always, but since this chapter was posted in the meantime, I can't guarantee it ^^**

 **Please REVIEW!**

 **~Lightning**


	17. Chapter 15

**Here I am with Chapter 15! I still updated Friday ;) This chapter was going to be much longer, but I had 5,5K words, and hadn't finished it, so I split it in half. Sorry, but that means that the next update will be very quick! Probably this weekend.**

 **Reviews:**

 **"Silentsong" - Thank you!**

 **"Somebody" - Thanks.**

 **"Tigerflight" - I already explained in a PM, so I won't be repeating it here XD But thanks for your review! ;)**

 **"Blue741776" - Thanks!**

 **"Nausika Universe" - Thanks! (for the 5th time lol XD)**

 **"Akitsune Lune" - Thank you for your reviews! For Blizzardstorm, a lot of you seem to think that he has the power... but what makes you say that? I never said it... But maybe he does! Oooh, nice tip! Maybe I'll use it in future chapters ;P And yep! Every cat with the power has strange eyes! I wanted it like that since the beginning, and that's why Jaypaw's eyes are so special. But maybe Blizzardstorm just has beautiful eyes...for no reason. Just because cats can have beautiful eyes without having a power. Yeah, I understand what you mean with Fallingsnow, but I can't really change it right now XD As for the final battle... epic it will be! (or not ;P)**

 **On to the chapter!**

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Chapter 15:

Jaypaw shivered as a gust of wind blew in her face. Leaf-fall was slowly arriving, and the blue-grey she-cat could already sense the first rains. Redwing had decided to assess Jaypaw and Breezepaw, and both of them had fought against each other, before splitting up to catch at least three pieces of prey.

Padding to the meeting spot Redwing and Cloudberry had shown them, Jaypaw placed her four pieces of prey on the ground, waiting for her sister and the mentors to appear.

Only a few heartbeats later, Redwing appeared, two mice and a shrew in her jaws.

"Well done, Jaypaw," purred the ginger deputy, her green eyes full of pride. "You caught impressive pieces of prey!"

The blue-grey she-cat puffed out her chest in pride, eyeing her squirrel, pigeon and two voles as Redwing placed her catches beside hers.

"But how did you assess me _and_ catch three pieces of prey at the same time?" meowed Jaypaw, looking at her mentor impressively.

Redwing laughed at Jaypaw's comment, her eyes twinkling in amusement. "It's not so hard once you know how to do two things at once," she replied, "and you're not my first apprentice! I got used to invent techniques that make my time worth double."

Laughing, Jaypaw looked at the sky, enjoying the last rays of the nearly hidden sun. It wasn't sundown yet, but more and more clouds were starting to appear in the sky, making it look greyer and greyer each moment.

Hearing the rustling of leaves, Jaypaw turned her head and flicked her tail in welcome as Breezepaw appeared with three pieces of prey in her jaws, Cloudberry at her heels. Unlike Redwing, the older warrior had no prey, but Jaypaw knew that the white and grey she-cat had trouble concentrating on more than one thing at once, which was normal in fact. Redwing was just special, in both her attitude and manners. Sometimes, Jaypaw wondered what her mentor was thinking, and couldn't wait to reach her twelfth moon, so as to be able to read more than one mind if she had one of the highest powers.

 _I wish I had the highest one, just like Fallingsnow,_ thought Jaypaw as the four she-cats padded silently back to camp, loaded with prey. _I would be able to know exactly what everyone is thinking! It would be so awesome..._

 _On top of that, the only cat whose mind I can hear is Pinefur, and I can't really go and touch him whenever I want,_ she thought, sighing. _He's already suspicious, and I just have no excuse. Well, I can only wait. Three moons isn't so far away from now..._

Jaypaw hadn't been visited by Fallingsnow in her dreams since the past half moon, but she felt that they would see each other soon. And anyways, she couldn't really train her 'power' until she was twelve moons old, or that was what Fallingsnow had told her.

Jaypaw wondered if everything the white she-cat had told her was true or not. She certainly hadn't heard of cats with a power, who had been banned from the Clans and StarClan also. But there was proof about this power: she could definitely read Pinefur's mind. She was sure of it.

And on top of that, she knew that Pinefur planned on taking over ThunderClan's deputy position. She had heard him tell that to the pretty silver-grey RiverClan she-cat, and she knew that he was ambitious and suspicious of her.

 _He'll strike soon,_ thought Jaypaw as she followed her mentor into the ThunderClan camp. _If he hasn't already..._

"We're done for the day," meowed Redwing as she prepared to go and report to Sorrelstar. "The Gathering is tonight, and I need to discuss who is going to go with Sorrelstar."

Jaypaw's face lit up at the mention of the Gathering. Maybe she would get to go and see her WindClan friends again! The thought warmed her up, but she wasn't really sure she would go. She had gone to the last one, and the other apprentices had not.

"Hey, Jaypaw!"

The blue-grey she-cat turned at her sister's call. Breezepaw was sitting near the apprentices' den, the squirrel Jaypaw had caught at her feet.

"Come and share!"

Jaypaw purred as she settled down next to her black sister, and they both gulped down the squirrel in hungry bites.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around Highrock to hear my words!"

Both apprentices turned around at Sorrelstar's summons, and quickly buried the remnants of the squirrel before padding towards the center of the clearing.

"He's going to announce who will be going to the Gathering," whispered Jaypaw to Breezepaw's ear.

"Do you think we'll go?" whispered her black sister.

"Not really," answered Jaypaw. "We already went last time, and I don't think Sorrelstar will pick us twice when there are so many apprentices."

"We'll see," meowed Breezepaw, and both sisters turned their attention back to their leader.

"Those going to the Gathering today are: Poppyblossom, Rosenettle, Sparkfire, Brackenheart, Harefoot, Lionclaw, Squirrelwhisker, Sunpaw, Larchpaw and Shadepaw."

Jaypaw couldn't help but feel a stab of disappointment at not being able to go to the Gathering, even if she had guessed that she wouldn't be going.

"Hey, lighten up!" meowed Breezepaw as the cats started to dispatch. "Seedpaw's not going either! And she didn't go last time..."

Jaypaw purred at her sister's comment. It was true: their 'rival' wasn't going either, and her brothers were!

"I wonder why Sorrelstar choose Shadepaw instead of her," snickered Jaypaw. "Maybe he thought she wasn't worth representing ThunderClan after all..."

"That's mean," meowed Breezepaw, feigning shock. But Jaypaw could very well see her sister's laughing green eyes.

The sisters stared in silence at the sky, which was turning from light blue to red, orange and violet as the sun set down. Jaypaw could have started at it all her life, but a yawn escaped from her jaws and she felt herself pad towards the apprentices' den, and curl around in her nest. She did not dream that night.

...

Two days had passed since the last Gathering, and Hollyshine had kitted the night before, having two healthy kits. Jaypaw had gone to visit them earlier this day, and thought that they looked very cute. Spottedkit was a tiny tortoiseshell and white she-kit, who looked nearly exactly like her mother, and Crowkit was a pure black tom, if not for his distinguishable white paws.

The Clan had rejoiced at the news, which had lighted up the gloomy atmosphere that had been there since the Gathering. Shadepaw had told the blue-grey she-cat that Icystar had ignored ThunderClan all along, and that Cinderstar and Thrushstar had started fighting about ShadowClan catching WindClan scent on their territory.

The Gathering had ended without claws being unsheathed, but the tension between the four Clans could not have been mistaken.

 _I wonder why it all starts now,_ thought Jaypaw as she watched the rising sun. _We had more than two seasons of peace; and now every Clan starts hating each other. Will there be more battles than the one with RiverClan?_

 _Of course,_ she thought, shaking her head. _I'm stupid! Of course there will be more battles..._

Jaypaw shivered as she remembered the last battle, in which her mother, Nightstorm, had died. She felt a pang of grief at the thought, and bowed her head, wishing her mother was still alive. She missed her, even though she had closed her heart to her parents before, and wanted to see her again with all her will. But Jaypaw knew it was impossible, or, at least, it was impossible for her mother to return to the world of the living.

 _But I'll see her soon, I hope,_ thought Jaypaw. _At my trip to the Moonstone, before my warrior assessment._

The blue-grey she-cat's whiskers quivered in excitement at the prospect of going to the Moonstone. She was already more than half-way in her training, and she knew that the trip would come soon.

 _And Breezepaw will be here too,_ she thought happily. _Even though she started her training later than me, I'm sure she'll become a warrior at the same time as me. And if she has to wait, then I'll wait with her._

While she pondered this, Jaypaw padded out of the apprentices' den, careful not to step on all the sleeping apprentices. It was the dead of night, but Jaypaw hadn't been able to sleep, though she didn't really know why. Usually, she slept well and did not wake up, but this night was different.

Shrugging, the blue-grey she-cat sat by the entrance of the den, and looked at the stars which were shining brightly in the moonlit sky. The moon was still round, as the Gathering had been only two days ago, but it was starting to thin.

After a few calm moments of contemplating the sky, Jaypaw stretched and started padding back to the apprentices' den, when a small rustle made her stop in her tracks.

Careful not to make any noise, the blue-grey she-cat silently hid in the shadows, sure not to be spotted by any passing cat. The guard, Whiteslash, hadn't even spotted her when she had exited the den, and didn't even seem to have heard the noise.

 _Then it must have been closer to me than to her,_ thought Jaypaw as she crept backwards and backwards, to finally find herself behind the apprentices' den. _Maybe it was just one of the apprentices moving in their sleep..._

But her suspicions were confirmed when she heard another rustle, louder this time. Flipping her head around, she noticed a small movement just behind the nursery. Squinting her eyes, she saw a shadow appearing for a heartbeat, then disappearing all at once. But the blue-grey she-cat could have sworn that she had seen a flash of pure white for a second.

 _I must have imagined it,_ thought Jaypaw, shrugging the thought away.

Creeping closer to the nursery, Jaypaw stayed quiet, and waited for another few heartbeats before padding to the side of the nursery. The shape she had seen was gone, and all was quiet again.

 _The secret place I use to go out without getting noticed!_ she thought, as she remembered all the nights she had spent outside, and still spent, but more rarely now. _I'm not the only one who discovered it..._

As fast as a flash of lightning, Jaypaw sprang, so as not to be seen by Whiteslash, and landed silently just outside the hole. It was big enough for her to go into, but a bigger warrior would have trouble managing to go through without doing any noise.

 _That's what I heard..._ thought the blue-grey she-cat, suddenly understanding the rustling noise. _It must have been a warrior, having trouble going through the secret passageway. But why?_

Suddenly, thoughts of one precise night she had spent outside of camp returned to her mind. _Pinefur!_ she thought as she wriggled through the gap, making no noise. _He's probably still meeting the RiverClan she-cat!_

The forest looked magnificent in the moonlight, but Jaypaw had no time to stare at it in wonder. She _had_ to understand what Pinefur was plotting, and if he still met with that RiverClan she-cat, then couldn't be good at all.

 _And I've seen them exchange looks at the Gathering a moon ago,_ thought Jaypaw as she padded silently through the forest, getting closer and closer to the RiverClan border. _So that means they're still accomplices of whatever evil plan Pinefur has._

 _I wish I could see into his thoughts whenever I wanted,_ she thought, sighing nearly soundlessly. _Then I wouldn't have to follow him and expose myself to danger. But I can't really touch him, it would seem very weird. Well, I'll just have to wait until I'm twelve moons old, and hope I get the highest power..._

The murmuring of water suddenly reached Jaypaw's ears, and she stopped short as she realised she had nearly crossed over the boundary.

 _I'm distracting myself with all the thinking!_ she thought, cross with herself. _I have to concentrate on finding them and staying hidden._

"Streamfrost, a pleasure to see you, as always."

Jaypaw nearly jumped in fright at the sound, but thought better than to alert Pinefur about her presence.

 _I didn't realise I was so close to them!_ she thought, panicking for a second. _I'm lucky I didn't go any further..._

Deciding that it would be better to have an over-view of what would happen, Jaypaw silently jumped on the lowest branch of a tree, not too far away from Pinefur, but not too close either, in case she made any noise. Then, she escalated the tree and stopped a little higher, where she could have a better view at the border, on which, indeed, Pinefur and the silver tabby RiverClan she-cat stood.

 _She has a name now: Streamfrost,_ thought Jaypaw as she settled comfortably on the branch. She had mastered tree climbing quickly, and it didn't really scare her anymore. Redwing had made sure she overcame that trauma she had had as a kit, and the countless tree-climbing sessions she had done since the beginning of her apprenticeship had served their purpose. _Streamfrost... Beautiful, but icy. Pretty in appearance, but deadly inside._

Not daring to breath too loudly, Jaypaw strained her ears as Streamfrost returned Pinefur's greeting.

"It has been a while," meowed the beautiful silver and white tabby she-cat, her green eyes glimmering in the darkness. "But all is going as we planned. WindClan and ShadowClan are starting to mistrust one another, and Icystar is enraged by the lost battle for Sunningrocks."

"That's good," nodded Pinefur, amber eyes flashing with what seemed like ambition. "Our ShadowClan and WindClan allies have done their job well. And you too," he added in a more respective tone.

"I always do my job well," meowed Streamfrost in a silky voice. "And it wasn't hard to convince Icystar to challenge Sorrelstar over Sunningrocks. He has always had a thing against ThunderClan, ever since his father died at Redwing's claws."

At the mention of Redwing, Pinefur growled. "Redwing is the only threat right now," he hissed. "She is too intelligent, and it won't be long until she discovers that something is behind all those tensions. But she trusts me, so it mustn't be too hard to convince her if something goes wrong," he meowed, calming down a little.

"That's not good," sighed Streamfrost, shaking her head. "You know that Sorrelstar isn't that young anymore, and Redwing could become leader anytime, if anything happens to your leader. And since she is _too intelligent,_ as you just said; she won't make you her deputy."

"I know," growled Pinefur. "But Sorrelstar will. If I manage to kill her, somehow, then I will get the deputy position, and be leader shortly after. It won't be hard then to make Sorrelstar's death appear like an accident."

"How many lives does he have left?" whispered Streamfrost.

"I don't really know, but I would guess about three," replied the dark brown tom, squinting his eyes. "He's not that old, but older than most cats in the Clan, and definitely older than all the other leaders. And what about you?" pressed Pinefur.

"Well, as you know, my plans never fail," purred the silver and white tabby she-cat. "And I have one great asset: Icystar is my father. And since Flamewhisker is going to retire in a few moons, the deputy post will be open..."

"But who's to say he will choose you, even though you are his daughter?" retorted Pinefur, clearly dissatisfied with his position in ThunderClan compared to Streamfrost's in her Clan.

"My father has promised me the spot, only a few sunrises ago," meowed Streamfrost, delight and ambition visible in her eyes. "In a season at most, I will be deputy of RiverClan."

At that statement, Pinefur's eyes widened in amazement, but Jaypaw could discern a spark of jealousy in them.

 _Streamfrost is clearly Pinefur's 'superior',_ thought Jaypaw, eyes narrowed at all she had heard. _And she's much more dangerous than Pinefur..._ _She seems very intelligent, and I doubt that she will let her plans fail easily, even though I have heard them. She has more than one trick in mind..._

"I knew you would react this way," purred Streamfrost, green eyes glinting with amusement. "On my side of things, everything is clear. But you need to work out a plan to kill Redwing, and be sure to be appointed as deputy after her death. Because if you kill her and don't become deputy, the same plan won't work twice."

Pinefur scowled at Streamfrost's words, but didn't reply.

"You've had an apprentice, and you're still young," continued the RiverClan she-cat. "Well, not as young as me," she snickered, "but young enough to become leader in eight seasons at the most. But as you said, Redwing is intelligent, and I have seen her at Gatherings. She won't be killed easily..."

"I know," hissed Pinefur, annoyed that Streamfrost was just repeating what he already knew. "But I'll find a way. After all, who could succeed Redwing in deputyship if she ever dies? I'm the obvious one for the post."

 _I wouldn't be so sure,_ thought Jaypaw, whiskers twitching in amusement. _You're too egocentric and sure of yourself, Pinefur. There are plenty of other cats in ThunderClan who would do as well, if not better, than you in deputyship. Sparkfire, for example. He's calm, strict, and a leader at heart. Brackenheart would also be a good choice: she's not ambitious, but has authority, and the Clan loves her. As for you..._

Jaypaw stopped thinking for a second, concentrating on both cats' words before they split up. She knew they had allies in ShadowClan and WindClan, which was one more trouble to take care of, but she didn't know how many. She didn't even know if Pinefur and Streamfrost had allies in their own Clans, but she would find out soon enough, if it wasn't already too late.

She'd have to wait about two to three moons for her full power to develop, and with luck on her side, she'd be able to read everyone's minds without touching them, or at least read everyone's minds, even if it meant faking accidents or running into them.

 _But I have to tell someone about this,_ she thought as Pinefur and Streamfrost continued talking for a while, though Jaypaw discovered nothing that she didn't already know in their words. _I'll tell Redwing,_ she decided as both cats nodded farewell to each other and split up. _She's my mentor, and the cat Pinefur wants dead. I don't know if she'll believe me, but I'll have to try anyways. The Clans are at risk..._

Jaypaw waited a little more before getting down the tree, and watched as Streamfrost waded back to her territory, shaking off the droplets of water as she arrived on the other side of the stream.

Carefully making her way down the tree, Jaypaw jumped the small distance when she arrived low enough, and started padding back to the ThunderClan camp, without noticing the pair of gleaming amber eyes spying on her from a nearby bush.

When she realised it, it was too late. Pinefur pinned her to the ground in a heartbeat, his tail covering her mouth to keep her from uttering a sound.

"Well, well, well," meowed Pinefur in a honey-like voice. "Who have we got here? Little Jaypaw, sneaking out of camp in the middle of the night? Naughty, naughty cat."

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 **Next update will be quick! I promise ;) You wouldn't want to wait too long with this cliffhanger anyways, would you?**

 **Well, hope you liked this chapter and please review!**

 **~Lightning**


	18. Chapter 16

**Wow, I got this finished so early! But I had more than half of it done already, so it was easy to finish it ;P Well, to those who didn't want to wait long for the next chapter, here it is! Enjoy!**

 **Reviews:**

 **"Nausika Universe" - Thanks! Yeah, I understand you XD**

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 **Now... THE CHAPTER!**

* * *

Chapter 16:

Jaypaw's blue-green eyes widened in fear and astonishment at Pinefur's words, and she suddenly turned cold as she saw how the brown cat was looking at her. His amber eyes were hungry with power, and Jaypaw could notice his claws glinting silver in the moonlight.

 _He's going to kill me!_ she thought, closing her eyes for a heartbeat, then reopening them at once. _But I don't want to die... Not now anyways!_

Jaypaw tried to wriggle herself out of Pinefur's grasp, but she was too small, and his heavier weight did not permit her to move a single bit.

 _I'm done,_ thought the blue-grey she-cat, panicking. _Goodbye, Breezepaw, Thornfang, everyone. I'll miss you..._

But Pinefur only laughed, his amber eyes glinting maliciously. "Who would have thought _you_ , of all cats, would come across Streamfrost and me?" he meowed scathingly. "But don't worry, _apprentice,_ " he continued, making sure Jaypaw could see his unsheathed claws. "I won't kill you now. Or not today, anyways," snickered Pinefur.

Jaypaw's eyes widened even more. _He's not going to kill me? But I know his plans! I could tell anyone!_

"Do you know why?" hissed Pinefur, sliding his claw near Jaypaw's neck, cutting a small gash on her skin. "Because _someone_ told me not to do it. It would ruin my plans, see? If I killed you, it would seem _very_ suspicious," he growled.

 _Why not kill her, right now? It would be so simple... And I could easily hide the_ _evidence. But_ he _told me not to do it. Grrrrr...why?_

Jaypaw shivered as Pinefur's thoughts entered her head. _So he really doesn't know why this_ someone _wants me alive,_ she thought as she vainly tried to get out of his grasp. This only resulted in another slash of claws, nicking her right ear this time.

"Have you heard of the Dark Forest?" whispered Pinefur in her ear.

Cold sweat trickled down Jaypaw's spine, and she nodded quickly, scared of what would come.

"The Dark Forest told me a cat would be spying on me tonight," he laughed wickedly. "They didn't tell me who, but now that I know it's only a useless apprentice, it will only make things easier. You have nowhere to hide, Jaypaw, but I will spare your life, on one condition."

Pinefur took his tail out of Jaypaw's mouth, who gasped for breath as soon as the fur was out of her mouth. But she didn't dare make a sound. Pinefur's claws were still near her throat, waiting to rip it out if she ever did make some noise.

"W—which condition?" stuttered Jaypaw, eyes opened wide in fear.

"I do not know why _he_ want you alive," growled the brown tom, "but I will spare your life, only if you tell nobody, _nobody_ what you heard between me and Streamfrost."

Jaypaw nodded hastily, too scared to do anything more than stare in his power-hungry eyes.

A vivid picture of a dark brown tabby tom with striking amber eyes appeared in Jaypaw's eyes, and she nearly choked as she realised she could not only hear Pinefur's thoughts, but also visualise what he was seeing in his head.

 _Who is that cat? Is he the one who told Pinefur I would be there tonight?_

"I want to hear it said aloud, you idiot!" hissed Pinefur, pressing his claws against Jaypaw's throat, opening the gap a little more and jerking her out of her thoughts or, more precisely, _his_ thoughts.

"I promise I won't tell," murmured Jaypaw, trying the best she could not to sound scared. But the image of the tom still lingered in her mind a little while more.

"Good little kitty," purred Pinefur in mock gentleness. "Now, if you ever disobey me, I will kill Breezepaw, your _beloved_ sister, before killing your friends and family one by one. It won't be hard, you know? I have many allies."

Jaypaw made a shaky nod, and scrambled away as Pinefur released her off his grasp.

"I will return to camp now, and you will return only at dawn," meowed Pinefur, amber eyes glinting in the dark. "Make it seem like you went out of camp and slept outside, because you were too tired. Am I understood?"

Jaypaw nodded, not daring to open her mouth to even say 'yes'.

"And if you ever, _ever,_ tell Redwing or anyone any of this," meowed Pinefur, amber eyes glinting menacingly. "You will have many many deaths on your mind, counting yours. I will be watching you, little kitty."

At these words, Pinefur whisked around and sped through the territory, vanishing in an instant. As soon as she was sure that she was alone, Jaypaw fell to the ground, shoulders slumping. The blood in her nicks had already dried up, and it wouldn't be hard to make it seem like she had been cut by brambles.

But the blue-grey she-cat felt devastated at what had just happened. Who had told Pinefur that she would be here? Was it the cat she had seen in his thoughts? And why had that cat spared her life? And why, _why_ was Pinefur planning to become deputy, along with his other allies? All these questions swarmed in her head as she closed her eyes and slowly drifted into sleep as tiredness finally took its grip on her.

 _Oh, StarClan, what have I done?_

...

Jaypaw opened her eyes to find herself in a lush meadow, lightened by moonlight. The blue-grey she-cat instantly knew she was dreaming, because the moon wasn't as full as it had been a few heartbeats before.

At once, all the events of the night flooded back to her memory, and she bowed her head in defeat as she realised that she was totally helpless against Pinefur now.

 _My power doesn't even help, and by the time it will be full, it may already be too late..._ she thought miserably, not hearing the approaching paw-steps of a cat.

"Oh, Jaypaw, I'm so sorry..."

Jaypaw lifted her head in wonderment as she stared at the pure white pelt of Fallingsnow, her light blue eyes showing kindness and concern.

"You've seen what happened, didn't you?" murmured Jaypaw as she padded towards the she-cat. It was only the second time she was seeing her, but she already felt like she could trust Fallingsnow with her life.

"Yes," replied Fallingsnow, sitting beside Jaypaw so that their pelts brushed against each other. "But it was meant to happen," she meowed, looking at the starless sky.

"What do you mean?" meowed Jaypaw, looking puzzled. _Did she know it would happen? Why didn't she tell me?!_

"I had to have Pinefur know that you were spying on him," meowed Fallingsnow, blue orbs clear of guiltiness. "But don't be mad," she added when Jaypaw started bristling. "If I hadn't, you would have run straight back to camp, and told Redwing his plans, making it impossible for me to prevent you from doing it. It would have ruined everything if you had."

"Ruined what?!" hissed Jaypaw, shocked at Fallingsnow's words. _Isn't she on my side? Isn't she supposed to help me with my power, instead of turning me down to a murderous, crazed cat?!_

"I know what you think, and I understand why," meowed Fallingsnow, "but this is for the best. I _am_ on your side, and you must understand that. Because if you had told Redwing Pinefur's plans, then the outcome of it would have been bad. Really bad."

Shocked and angry, Jaypaw just shook her head, not believing her ears.

"But you can't see the future! How can you say that?!" she growled, her fur spiking up in anger. "Pinefur wants to kill Redwing! Am I supposed to make that happen without doing anything?"

"Dead cats sometimes _have_ the power to see the future," came Fallingsnow's reply. "For how could prophecies exist, if we couldn't?"

"You can see the future?" meowed Jaypaw, looking skeptical.

Fallingsnow nodded curtly, not looking at the blue-grey she-cat, and continued staring at the sky.

"This is AetherClan's territory," meowed the white she-cat, flicking her tail around. "It is where the cats who have the power live, as outcasts. We never see the sun."

Jaypaw stayed silent for a while, then turned towards Fallingsnow.

"I still don't understand," she meowed, a little bit calmed down. "You said telling Redwing would have ruined everything... But what have you got to ruin?"

" _I_ have nothing to ruin, but _you_ do," replied Fallingsnow. "There is a prophecy, foretelling a possible future. StarClan sent it to your medicine cat two days after your birth."

"What is the prophecy?" murmured Jaypaw, ears pricked with curiosity, her past anger nearly gone.

" _The Clans will tumble like stones falling off a cliff. Pine needles and dark streams will unite, and create chaos. Only the jay will be able to save the Clans. But beware, even birds can fly a bit too high..."_

"The jay..." meowed Jaypaw, lost in her thoughts. "It's me, isn't it? I'm supposed to save the Clans?"

Fallingsnow didn't answer her question. "It is not for me to tell," she meowed.

"Pine needles and dark streams," echoed the blue-grey she-cat, seemingly not hearing Fallinsnow's reply. "Pinefur and Streamfrost! But why 'needles' and 'dark'? Pinefur said he had allies in the other Clans... Maybe Needlesomething and Darksomething are from ShadowClan and WindClan!"

Jaypaw scrunched her eyes shut as she tried to remember ShadowClan and WindClan cats with a name starting with 'needle' and 'dark', but couldn't think of any. Sighing, she stopped trying to think and looked at Fallingsnow questioningly.

"You're smart," purred Fallingsnow. "I cannot help you, but I see you don't need help anyways. You'll find out the prophecy's meaning on your own. My job was only to deliver you the message. But do you understand now? Why you couldn't tell Redwing?"

"Yes," breathed Jaypaw, eyes widening in comprehension. "Because I'm supposed to unravel it all alone," she meowed, eyes clear. "I can't tell anybody about what I heard, because I am the jay, and I have to solve everything alone. But what about the 'fly a bit too high' part? What does it mean?"

"I can't tell you, Jaypaw, I already hinted you enough," sighed the white she-cat. "And I wasn't supposed to tell you the prophecy either, but I had to, because you would have done foolish things otherwise."

"I understand now," meowed the blue-grey she-cat. "Thanks, Fallingsnow," she purred, feeling calm despite what had just happened to her. "But does Pinefur know I can read his mind?" she meowed, suddenly anxious.

"No, he doesn't," replied Fallingsnow. "And it wasn't I who told him not to kill you. It was only a message from me, but it was transmitted to him by another."

"Who?" questioned Jaypaw, as the image of the brown tabby appeared in her mind. "He told me the cat was from the Dark Forest..."

"An old acquaintance of mine," meowed the white she-cat. "Unlike StarClan and the Dark Forest, AetherClan cannot walk in the livings' dreams. We can only walk in yours, because you have our power, and also see the dead."

"But does that mean you are an ally of the Dark Forest?" hissed Jaypaw suddenly.

"No, AetherClan doesn't make alliances," replied Fallingsnow, as calm as always. "But we are not on bad terms with the Dark Forest. StarClan has forever closed the border between us and them, and out connection with them is cut. They do not know that the power lives on in you, nor do they know that I am in contact with you. But the Dark Forest does, because we have a shared past with them. My cats and I have helped them in times of need, and they are now returning the favour by sparing your life, even though it may destroy their plans."

 _But the Dark Forest is evil! And so is Pinefur!_ thought Jaypaw, seeming more and more puzzled. _And why would they accept to spare my life on Fallingsnow's orders? Why would they even listen to Fallingsnow?! I am the one supposed to destroy the pine needles and dark streams! And if Pinefur and Streamfrost are controlled by the Dark Forest, then I will be the doom to their plans! NOTHING MAKES SENSE ANYMORE!_

"I know, little one, I know," sighed Fallingsnow. "But answers will come in their own time. For now, I ask only one thing of you: tell no one about Pinefur, and forget about it. Everything is okay, and Pinefur will not kill you. You are safe, I promise. The Dark Forest is willing to let you live, because they think that even with the threat you pose to them, they will achieve their goals. But you will understand everything when the time comes."

"I wish it would be simple," whispered Jaypaw, as another question peeped up in her mind. "Why does everything have to be in riddles?"

 _And WHY does the Dark Forest think that they will achieve their goals even if I live? There is a prophecy foretelling the destruction of their puppets, and I am the one who will make sure of it!_ thought Jaypaw angrily.

"Because that is how it is," came the answer, seeming more distant than before as Jaypaw started to fade away. "If everything was solved before there was even a problem, life would be very boring, don't you think?"

These were the last words Jaypaw heard, before feeling herself swirl around, plunging down and down in a never ending abyss. When she woke up, it was already dawn, and the birds were chirping in the morning sky.

...

 **Flashback, the night before.**

 **Pinefur's POV**

...

"Pinefur."

The dark brown tom spun around to find himself face to face with a brown tabby tom with eyes the colour of a very dark sun.

"Hawktalon," meowed Pinefur, returning his greeting with a dip of his head.

"Today, we will not be training," meowed the cat named Hawktalon, who was sitting with his long tail curled around his paws.

"Oh?" meowed the ThunderClan warrior, looking surprised. Hawktalon usually welcomed him with a swipe of his claws, and both of them usually fought until Pinefur had to wake up. But tonight seemed to be different.

"Yes, you heard me correctly," hissed Hawktalon, uncovering his tail which revealed long, hooked claws. Around them, all was silent, and the strong scent of fungus and rotten vegetation hung in the air. "Tonight, we will be _speaking,_ " meowed the brown tabby tom, spitting the last word.

Pinefur nodded respectfully, but did not let his gaze waver at his superior's tone.

"It seems that you are not well positioned in your Clan," started Hawktalon menacingly. Pinefur flinched, but regained his dignified position almost instantly. "Streamfrost and Darkpool are on their way to become deputies, but I can't really say the same of you and Needleclaw. She-cats are more witty and intelligent than toms, or so it seems."

"I'm sorry," retorted Pinefur, ears flattening. "I'm working on it, I promise! But Redwing is a hard obstacle to overcome, and I have to find a way to get rid of her without arousing suspicions."

"But you need to become deputy soon," spat Hawktalon. "Remember our deal? We said twelve seasons, and it is already the seventh. I know that five seasons is still enough, but will you be able to do in five what you should have done in twelve?"

"Yes!" meowed Pinefur, trying hard not to let his panic show. "Just give me a little more time, and I will find a way! I promise!"

"Promises made in the air are worth nothing, but I will let you until next leaf-fall to become deputy," meowed Hawktalon, striking amber eyes glinting dangerously.

"Thank you," meowed Pinefur, looking slightly relieved. Nevertheless, his eyes still held a slight trace of fear.

"When all four of you become deputies, you will kill your leaders, and become rulers of your Clans," meowed the brown tabby tom. "The Dark Forest will finally rule the Clans!" he laughed wickedly. "And StarClan will pay for the harm they have inflicted you, my four, loyal cats. Your brother and mother will not have died in vain, Pinefur!"

At those words, Pinefur's eyes turned power-hungry, and he joined Hawktalon's laugh. "Yes," he whispered, "yes! StarClan will pay, and I will rule over ThunderClan!"

"That's the spirit," meowed Hawktalon wickedly. "But that's not the only reason why I wanted to talk to you," he added, narrowing his eyes.

Pinefur's grin dropped, and he flicked his ears to show the brown tabby that he was listening.

"Tomorrow, when you will meet Streamfrost, someone will follow you and hear all your conversation," meowed Hawktalon. Pinefur bristled, but Hawktalon ignored him and continued. "You will make it seem like you don't know about it, and talk to Streamfrost as if everything was normal. Don't let her, or the _spy,_ notice that something is off."

Pinefur nodded, though Hawktalon could clearly see that his mind was swarming with questions.

"Then, when Streamfrost will go back to her territory, you will silently wait in a nearby bush," meowed the Dark Forest cat, "and pin the spy down, while at the same time covering her mouth with your tail. You will tell the cat that the Dark Forest told you he or she would spy on you, and tell them that you had the order to let them live if they tell nobody about what they overheard. Am I clear?"

"Yes, but—"

Pinefur was interrupted before he could continue. "No 'buts'", growled Hawktalon, padding towards Pinefur menacingly. "And no questions either. Do as I say, that is all. And if you fail me, you will find yourself here, to never see the sun again," hissed the brown tabby tom, amber eyes flashing with meaning.

The ThunderClan warrior took a step back and nodded hastily, showing that he had heard. "I won't fail you, Hawktalon," he meowed, before he started fading away.

"Make sure you don't," were the last words he heard.

...

 **End of Pinefur's POV**

 **End of Flashback.**

...

"Well, Hawktalon, everything seems to be going according to our plan," purred a voice, seemingly coming out of the shadows.

The brown tabby tom turned his head towards the noise, and nodded, weird amber eyes glinting with pleasure. "Yes, everything is going well," he replied, dipping his head the cat which had just appeared out of the rotten bushes.

"Very well indeed. The strings have been set, now is the time to act."

* * *

 **Soooooo: impressions? thoughts? are you angry? relieved? What are you feeling right now? Do you want to kill me for making things more and more vague? XD**

 **Please REVIEW!**

 **~Lightning**


	19. Chapter 17

**I am so so sorry for the huuuuuge delay with this chapter, but I've been like, super busy these two past weeks and haven't been able to write much... I'm still writing though, even if it takes me more time! Anyways, here is chapter 17!**

 **Reviews:**

 **"Can I" - I'm sorry, but I can't use your cats in this story. Firstly, it doesn't fit with the plot at all, and secondly, I don't need OCs (I said that in a previous chapter already). Sorry.**

 **"Silentsong" - Mystery...you'll see ;) And maybe!**

 **"Nausika Universe" - You're totally right! I changed it btw ^^ And yeah, Fallingsnow's weird and creepy and mysterious...**

 **"Blue741776" - Yep, but there _is_ a reason here, as you guessed! And Fallingsnow... Yeah, maybe she will ^^**

 **"Akitsune Lune" - Thank you so much for your reviews! I read them many many times!**

 **"Maplestar33" - Cat's can't talk either. We're in the Warrior world anyways, so it doesn't matter if cats don't know what strings are. They don't even call themselves by names in real life, let alone live in Clans. And thanks!**

 **"Tigerflight" - Haha XD Maybe...maybe not!**

 **And OH MY GOSH WE'RE PAST 150 REVIEWS! THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE!**

* * *

Chapter 17:

"I, Sorrelstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn."

Seedpaw, Sunpaw and Larchpaw stood beneath the Highrock, fur well-groomed and shiny in the late sunlight. Their eyes shone brightly as Sorrelstar continued his speech.

"Seedpaw, Sunpaw and Larchpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" he meowed.

"I do," the littermates replied in unison, and Jaypaw noticed a gleam of ambition in Seedpaw's eyes, though it was gone in only an instant.

 _Well, she_ is _Pinefur's daughter,_ thought the blue-grey she-cat. _No wonder she has the same character traits as her father..._

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Seedpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Seedpool. StarClan honours your loyalty and cleverness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of our Clan!"

The newly named Seedpool licked Sorrelstar's shoulder, and went to sit by Lionclaw, her former mentor. Sunpaw and Larchpaw respectively became Sunstorm and Larchpelt, and Sorrelstar honoured Sunstorm's bravery and intelligence, and Larchpelt's enthusiasm and courage.

"Seedpool! Sunstorm! Larchpelt!"

Jaypaw chanted their names along with the Clan, though she only really meant it for Larchpelt, who deserved this praise even though he made her feel uncomfortable. Jaypaw turned her head to catch Seedpool glaring at her, as though telling her they would always be enemies, but the blue-grey she-cat only shrugged and turned her head back to Sorrelstar.

The Gathering was tonight, and Jaypaw had been told she would go, along with Breezepaw, Swiftpaw and Gorsepaw. So she only half listened when Sorrelstar announced who would be going, catching only the names of Thornfang and Pinefur.

 _Of course,_ he _has to go,_ thought Jaypaw as she prepared to follow her Clan out of camp, Pinefur's name still ringing in her ears. Jaypaw nodded at Larchpelt, as the brown tom sat by the entrance of the camp, preparing to do his silent vigil. It was bad luck that their warrior ceremony had been the night of the Gathering, but it had been Sorrelstar's choice.

 _Pinefur...He hasn't talked to me since,_ thought Jaypaw as she followed Breezepaw out of camp. _But I know that I still have time to uncover his plan. By the way he acts, he's still troubled about not being able to kill Redwing, and I will know when he has a plan to actually kill her. By then, maybe I'll even have my full power, which will maybe make things easier. But if not, I'll just have to run into him while I'm sure he's thinking about Redwing, and discover his plan while reading in his thoughts._

It all seemed so simple, but Jaypaw couldn't help but think that something was off with everything. And shouldn't she tell at least someone? Fallingsnow had told her that Ferntail had received the prophecy a few nights before her birth. That meant that he probably knew it was her, and maybe had a little idea about what the 'pine needles and dark streams' meant, though Jaypaw doubted that.

He could not know what Pinefur was planning, nor could he know that he was meeting with Streamfrost. So the meaning of the prophecy should still be vague for him. But the 'jay'... Ferntail probably knew it was her. And that meant that whatever she told him, he would believe her. Or so she hoped.

"We're there!"

Jaypaw snapped out of her thoughts at Breezepaw's call. Suddenly noticing where she was already, Jaypaw bounded up to her sister, who was already sitting in a good spot near the middle of the clearing, surrounded by the four Great Oaks. WindClan was already there, but ShadowClan and RiverClan remained to be seen.

Pushing her thoughts on the prophecy and Pinefur to the back of her mind, Jaypaw purred as she saw Creekpaw and Poppypaw pad towards her.

"Jaypaw! How are you?" meowed the friendly WindClan tom as he approached the blue-grey she-cat. Jaypaw purred in return, and presented her sister to the WindClan apprentices.

"This is my sister, Breezepaw," she meowed after having told them she was alright. "You may have seen her two moons ago, but I'm sure you haven't talked to her."

Breezepaw nodded to them, green eyes glinting in pleasure, and Poppypaw and her started babbling instantly.

 _They're going to become good friends,_ thought Jaypaw as she noticed the two cats already spilling their respective lives to each other. _Breezepaw, don't tell her everything though! You don't know her well yet._ But she knew that Breezepaw wouldn't tell Poppypaw about her relationship with Jaypaw, so she wasn't too worried.

"So, how have things been running in WindClan?" meowed Jaypaw to the grey tabby tom.

Creekpaw shuffled his paw in uneasiness, and looked at Jaypaw straight in the eyes. "Well..." he started. "We've had a battle against ShadowClan, and one of our warriors, Swallowtail, died."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," replied Jaypaw, genuine grief in her eyes. "Was he related to you?"

"No," meowed Creekpaw, "but his mate, Pricklestorm, has his two moons old kits..."

"That's so sad," whispered Jaypaw. Silence fell between them, and she picked the conversation again. "Did cats die in ShadowClan too?" she meowed, her thoughts drifting to Blizzardstorm at once. She didn't really know what she felt about him, but she clearly didn't want him to die. The thought sent shivers down her spine.

"No one died in ShadowClan," hissed Creekpaw, eyes blazing with hurt and anger. "Well, not during the battle anyways. Maybe after though...I don't know."

Jaypaw nodded, and sighed, just as ShadowClan and RiverClan poured in the clearing. At once, angry hisses came from the WindClan cats, and ThunderClan stared at RiverClan in hostility.

"What happened with RiverClan anyways?" meowed Creekpaw, eyes bright with curiosity. Both apprentices stayed well away from the two other Clans, and tried to ignore the tensions as best as they could. "I wasn't here last moon, and nobody told me what had happened at the Gathering."

"Same as you," murmured Jaypaw, her eyes clouding with grief once more, but this time the pang felt real and hard. "One of our warriors died, but nobody died in RiverClan."

"Who?" replied Creekpaw, as the conversation was reversed.

"My mother."

The grey tabby tom stared at her in silence, and Jaypaw looked at the sky, as Cinderstar and Icystar jumped on the Great Rock.

 _Nightstorm... I know you're there, somewhere among those stars,_ she thought as the WindClan apprentice whispered his acknowledgment on Nightstorm's death. _But I wish you were there, with me, and alive._

"Let the Gathering begin!"

Jaypaw snapped out of her thoughts, and followed Breezepaw and Poppypaw towards the center of the crowd, Creekpaw walking beside her. The two she-cats hadn't stopped talking, and already seemed like best friends. Jaypaw purred at the thought, it was good that Breezepaw was finally getting to know other cats. She hadn't made friends last time, and hadn't gone to the Gathering since.

Sorrelstar stepped forward, and gave his report, announcing Seedpool, Sunstorm and Larchpelt's warrior ceremony as well as Hollyshine's kits. The four Clans chanted the new warriors' names even though they were not there, but Jaypaw noticed that RiverClan cheered less than the other Clans.

Then, Icystar reported that Willowfur had given birth to Beechkit and Heronkit, and that the streams were as full of fish as always. Nevertheless, Jaypaw caught the hateful gaze he sent Sorrelstar as soon as he had finished.

It was now Cinderstar's turn to give ShadowClan's news.

"ShadowClan has little to report," she started, and angry hisses escaped from the WindClan warriors. Thrushstar looked outraged, but didn't utter a word, even though her pelt was bristling in anger. "We have one new warrior, Sedgemoon!"

"Sedgemoon! Sedgemoon!"

Jaypaw chanted the new warrior's name along with ShadowClan and ThunderClan, even as Creekpaw refused to join in. The white ShadowClan she-cat was sitting a few tail lengths away, her chest puffed out in pride.

"We also have two new apprentices, Thistlepaw and Cloudpaw!" continued Cinderstar, a smirk plastered on her face as she noticed Thrushstar's anger. "ShadowClan is growing strong," she added as the apprentices' names were called.

"Is that all you have to say?" hissed Thrushstar as soon as the yowls of congratulations died down.

"Yes," meowed Cinderstar, eyes narrowing dangerously. "Or would you like to enlighten me on what else happened in ShadowClan this past moon? Because _surely,_ the WindClan leader knows more about an enemy Clan than its actual leader."

 _Uh oh,_ thought Jaypaw as her gaze flipped from Cinderstar to Thrushstar, whose hackles were raised menacingly.

"Well, what about that _night_ when you and your Clan attacked us in our camp, and killed one of our warriors?" spat Thrushstar. "Didn't that happen, only a few nights ago?"

"I don't know what you mean," meowed Cinderstar, but her eyes betrayed her uneasiness. "We had our right to do that. You were stealing ShadowClan's prey!"

"No!" yowled Thrushstar. "Not one of my warriors crossed the border, and you know it quite well! This is all your fault!"

"How dare you lie to me?!" roared Cinderstar, as she slid and un-slid her claws on the stone, making creaking noises with them. "Your warriors crossed the border! How can you explain the fresh-kill blood and tufts of fur reeking of WindClan on our territory?!"

"This isn't true!" riposted Thrushstar, as the WindClan and ShadowClan cats started facing each other angrily, preparing to leap on their enemy. "No WindClan cat would dare steal prey, and even if they did, they wouldn't be so stupid to leave blood and fur on their way!"

At those words, Cinderstar's eyes gleamed in triumph. "See?" she bellowed to the Clans. "Thrushstar just said that WindClan has trespassed!"

"That was not what I implied!" growled the young white she-cat, eyes blazing in anger and fury. "What cat would be so stupid to leave markers like that? What I am saying is: whatever cat did that, he or she did it on purpose! To make our Clans go to war against each other! Maybe it was even one of _your_ warriors, Cinderstar! Or would you say that all of ShadowClan is loyal to you?"

"Of course they are!" hissed Cinderstar, as Icystar and Sorrelstar vainly tried to appease the she-cats. "But I cannot say the same about WindClan at all! And your theory is stupid! You are just trying to manipulate me, Thrushstar, and I know it. WindClan has crossed our borders, and we were in our right to attack."

"But you were not in the right to kill one of my warriors!" roared Thrushstar, preparing to leap onto Cinderstar, who was crouched, ready for any attack.

"STOP!"

All the cats in the clearing looked upwards at Sorrelstar, who had just yowled that command. Still bristling, the ShadowClan cats retracted to the right end of the clearing, as far away from the WindClan cats as possible. Cinderstar sat upright, and Thrushstar did the same, as Sorrelstar advanced between them.

"Are you serious?" he growled, as if scolding kits. "Do you really want to fight on the night of the Gathering? Look at the moon! It is getting covered by a cloud. StarClan disagrees with this, and even if the moon was clear, you know very well StarClan's will. The Gathering is a night of truce! Of peace! Where the Clans share their news and make friends. There are no boundaries! This matter has to be settled between you, and I will not tolerate a fight that has no reason to be. You already fought, and at what price? The blood of a warrior has been spilled! Do you want more to die? Is that what you seek?"

Thrushstar dipped her head in respect and agreement, and Cinderstar did the same, though the same rage still burned in her eyes. The white WindClan leader sent a look to the Cinderstar which could have frozen a cat in place, but Cinderstar returned it, and the she-cats just stared at each other, as if daring the other to speak.

Finally, Icystar flicked his tail and broke the silence, motioning RiverClan to him. "The Gathering is finished," he meowed as he jumped off the Great Rock. "RiverClan is going."

With a whisk of his tail, Icystar turned towards the trees, disappearing with his warriors in no more than a few heartbeats.

"Well, I guess Icystar is right," hissed Thrushstar, leaping from the Great Rock, and sending Cinderstar a glare. "WindClan is prepared, so think twice before attacking us again, _Cinderstar,_ " meowed the WindClan leader before disappearing too, her Clan following her without a glance at the ShadowClan cats.

Creekpaw and Poppypaw waved their tails in farewell at Jaypaw and Breezepaw, and the former felt a pang as she thought about her WindClan friends. She hoped everything would be alright, and that ShadowClan wouldn't attack them a second time. She knew what it felt like to loose someone from her family, and she didn't want Creekpaw and Poppypaw to endure the same pain. Nor did she want them to die, either. It would be devastating.

"I hope they'll be okay," whispered Breezepaw in her ear, echoing her thoughts.

"Me too," nodded Jaypaw, as the last WindClan cat disappeared into the trees. ShadowClan and ThunderClan were the only ones left now, but Sorrelstar and Cinderstar had nothing more to say.

"ThunderClan, follow me," meowed Sorrelstar as he joined his warriors, leaving Cinderstar alone on the Great Rock, her grey tortoiseshell pelt glowing silver in the moonlight.

 _She looks magnificent with the full moon behind her,_ thought Jaypaw as she stared at the ShadowClan leader in awe. _Even though she maybe is wrong about everything, she sure is a great leader. I wish it could be me up there..._

 _One day, maybe,_ she thought as she dropped to the back of the ThunderClan patrol, preparing to enter the undergrowth she knew so well, when a hiss stopped her in her tracks. Jaypaw strained her ears, but heard nothing, and turned back to where she was heading, when the hiss became more insistent.

"Who are you?" she meowed, starting to feel a trickle of fear caressing her spine.

"It's me, Blizzardstorm," hissed the voice. Jaypaw relaxed, but stayed silent, not daring to make a sound so as not to alert her departing clanmates.

"What do you want?" she spat, not wanting to talk to him, let alone see him. Her paws were pushing her towards him, but she didn't understand why. She hated this cat! Why would she ever want to see him again, anyways?

"Shhhh! Cats will hear you!" murmured Blizzardstorm as Jaypaw noticed his amber eyes gleaming in the darkness. "Please," he added in a quiet, pleading voice. "Don't ask, but meet me tomorrow night at moonhigh at the border where we met last time. Please..."

Jaypaw cursed under her breath, but let a moment of silence pass before she answered him.

 _Why would I even accept?_ she thought as she pondered what he had just asked. _He's nothing to me, and an enemy warrior! So why should I go?_

Suddenly, she lifted her head, blue-green eyes meeting amber, and looked at him a while longer before turning around, preparing to follow her Clan which had already gone.

Behind her, she heard Blizzardstorm sigh, disappointed and pitiful, and she flipped around just in time to see him bow his head in defeat.

"Maybe," she whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

Not waiting for an answer, Jaypaw swiftly turned towards her side of the territory and ran towards her Clan, disappearing from sight.

...

Jaypaw padded silently through the undergrowth, making sure that the fallen leaves of leaf-fall didn't crunch too much under her paws. She hadn't had a single moment of rest since the Gathering, her thoughts full of the prophecy and her body training all day with Redwing. She had only barely managed to sneak out of camp right now, in order to see Blizzardstorm. Surprisingly enough, she wasn't tired yet, and actually couldn't wait to see him.

As silently as she could, she hid behind a bramble bush, and chuckled as she noticed Blizzardstorm padding to and fro restlessly, the moonlight illuminating his handsome face. His brow was tight with anxiousness, and Jaypaw was surprised that by the fact that he really seemed to need to see her.

 _I wonder why, though..._ she thought, deciding to wait a little while longer. It would be fun to see the faces he would make while waiting for her, thinking that maybe she wouldn't even come.

 _I shouldn't have come, but it was so tempting!_ thought the blue-grey she-cat, changing thoughts as she studied Blizzardstorm more closely. He had stopped moving, and was sitting with his front paws tucked underneath him, his amber eyes scrutinising the sky. _So tempting to see his handsome face again..._

 _WHAT AM I THINKING?_ she roared inside her head. _I—I didn't mean that! I meant that it was just so tempting to go out at night and break the rules! Not the other thing!_

But deep down, Jaypaw knew that she had always wanted to agree on meeting him. Since the day when she had rescued Spiderkit and had seen him for the first time, Blizzardstorm had always been at the back of her mind, somewhere, even when she had thought she had forgotten him completely.

 _Okay, let's go,_ she thought, taking a deep breath before stepping out of the shadows.

"Hello," she meowed awkwardly, adverting Blizzardstorm's eyes as he flipped his head towards her.

"Jaypaw! You came," he meowed, jumping to his paws. Relief was evident in his voice, and his eyes lost the anxious glint they had had only moments earlier. "I was worried you wouldn't..."

An uneasy silence settled between them, and Jaypaw was the first to break it.

"So, um, why did you want to see me?" she meowed after a while. She wasn't really angry against him anymore for what had happened the other time, and this time, she knew that he would answer her question. He had been too preoccupied about wanting to see her to make it go wrong like the other time.

Blizzardstorm shuffled his paws uncomfortably, before lifting his head and staring at her straight in the eyes, earnest and determined.

"I wanted to see you because I _need_ to, I _have_ to!" meowed Blizzardstorm suddenly, his voice more a plea than a statement. "Jaypaw, since the day when you saved Spiderkit, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. Your eyes, your voice, the shape of your face... Everything about you hasn't left my mind since then! Jaypaw, you have to understand how I feel about you... Please..."

Jaypaw was too shocked to utter even a word, but her eyes melted at Blizzardstorm's pleading and oh so earnest! expression. She certainly hadn't expected that, but now that he had said it, everything made more sense. The way he had watched her when she had found the ShadowClan patrol, the way he had talked to her as if he was sure that she would return his feelings... Realisation struck down as Jaypaw thought about this.

 _He loves me._

 _He loves me._

 _Wait. WHAT?!_

 _He loves me._

 _OH MY STARCLAN._

 _He loves me._

 _OH NO._

 _He loves me._

 _You love him._

 _WHAT?! NO!_

 _You do._

 _NO I DON'T!_

 _Of course you do._

 _ARGHH!_ _Well, maybe I do_ like _him_... _A little... A lot..._

Jaypaw's eyes widened more and more as he mind argued with itself, as she stared during what felt like eternity into Blizzardstorm's amber pools of hope and misery at the same time.

"Oh no..." she finally managed to escape, after quite some time of silence.

 _I wasn't supposed to say that!_ her voice screeched inside her head. _Which stupid cat would answer 'oh no' to someone who tells them he loves them?! Foolish me!_

"Hum, I mean..." gasped Jaypaw as Blizzardstorm's face decomposed at her statement. "I mean..."

 _ARGH! What am I supposed to say?_ she thought, embarrassment flowing up to her face. _It's not that I don't want to see him...because I actually do. But we're not supposed to love each other! We're from different Clans!_

"It's fine," whispered Blizzardstorm, sadness and misery evident in his voice. "I knew there was little chance you would return my feelings for you. I guess this is goodbye then."

Slowly turning around, the handsome grey tabby detached his eyes from her and started to walk away, tail dragging on the ground.

 _No! Don't go! Please! I never said I didn't like you..._

 _LOVE you,_ argued her mind.

 _Yeah, okay, fine! LOVE you!_

"Blizzardstorm, wait!" cried Jaypaw, in a desperate attempt to make him come back.

Blizzardstorm halted and turned, a glint of hope filling his eyes once more.

"Yes?" he choked as he searched her face with hopeful eyes. Jaypaw felt pity engulf her as she stared at the ShadowClan tom.

 _He must really love me to be in this state,_ she thought as she pondered on what she would say to him.

 _I can't tell him I love him, because I'm not really sure about that ye—_

 _YOU DO._

 _NO! Leave me alone! So, I can't tell him that, but I don't want him to think that it will never happen between us either. WHAT SHOULD I DO?_

Her conscience was silent.

 _Never here when I really need you, grrrr,_ she thought to herself.

"We can meet again, if you want to," she whispered, nearly escaping a purr as he let out a small cry of joy. "I don't know exactly what I feel for you, Blizzardstorm, but I _do_ know that there is something there," she meowed, pointing her tail to her heart.

"Jaypaw..."

"Don't," meowed the blue-grey she-cat. "It's fine. I'm not doing this for only you, but for me too. I think I like you, despite your attitude last time we saw each other. You really made me go mad with anger," she joked, and Blizzardstorm laughed despite the situation.

An uneasy silence settled between both cats, and they stared at each other until Jaypaw blinked.

"I have to go," she meowed, breaking the silence. Blizzardstorm nodded in understanding, but neither of them moved, and the silence returned again.

This time, it was Blizzardstorm's turn to break the silence. "Let's meet again in two nights?" he meowed hopefully, waiting for Jaypaw's reaction.

"I'm good with that," she purred, happy despite the fact that she knew she was breaking the code.

"See you then," whispered the ShadowClan tom as Jaypaw prepared to leave. Turning around towards the ThunderClan territory, Jaypaw padded a little before glancing back at Blizzardstorm. He hadn't moved, and was watching her go with longing in his eyes.

"I forgive you for last time," she laughed, and she ran away from him as fast as she could, so as not to endure another moment of awkwardness.

Racing through the forest, Jaypaw felt exhilaration as the wind caressed her fur the wrong way, fluffing her fur up like a cloud.

 _Blizzardstorm..._ she thought as she neared the ThunderClan camp. _He_ is _handsome..._

Silently padding behind the nursery, she wriggled through the gap and swiftly entered the apprentices' den, unnoticed by Mallowfern, who was standing guard. The blue-grey she-cat settled beside Breezepaw, careful not to touch her sister so as not to wake her up.

Sighing in exhaustion for the first time since the morning, Jaypaw slumbered into a sleep full of the face of a handsome ShadowClan tom with amber eyes, forgetting about all her troubles and the prophecy for the first time since Pinefur discovered her spying on him.

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 **I am so relieved to have finally managed to finish this chapter! Two entire weeks... Again, sorry for the long wait! I promise to try to update sooner next time, which shouldn't be too hard now that I'm not so busy anymore ;)**

 **Anyways, I hope you liked reading this, and PLEASE REVIEW!**

 **~Lightning**


	20. Chapter 18

**I'm sorry I couldn't post this earlier, but here is Chapter 18!**

 **Reviews:**

 **"Silentsong" - Thanks!**

 **"Blue741776" - Thank you! Yeah, tensions are building... And little Jaypaw doesn't know what to do ^^**

 **"Lightgiver" - It's fine XD Thanks for reviewing!**

 **"Nausika Universe" - Yep, you're right, I'm sorry! Larchpelt is a tom, I changed it in the last chapter. Perhaps... You'll see! And thanks ;)**

 **"Tigerflight" - Haha XD**

 **"Appledawn" - Thank you so much for all the reviews!**

* * *

Chapter 18:

Jaypaw coughed as a gust of wind blew to her face, sending shivers down her spine. Redwing had told her to try to find one or two pieces of prey before sundown, but Jaypaw was having a hard time even _scenting_ any prey.

Leaf-bare had finally arrived, and for the first time in her life, Jaypaw had seen snow falling from the sky. At first, she and her denmates had been entranced and happy about this sudden change of weather, amusing themselves and flinging piles of snow at each other. But they had grown tired of that after the Gathering got cancelled because of the huge amount of snow that had fallen without stopping since two sunrises before. ThunderClan could hardly feed themselves because of the lack of prey, and the snow made it even more impossible to be silent and stealthy.

Furthermore, a bout of greencough had spread, and Gorsepaw had gotten sick after spending an entire day outside, resulting in two more sick cats: Finchflight and Yellowflame.

For the moment, only those three were sick, and Finchflight only had whitecough so far, so Jaypaw hoped it wouldn't spread more. But Gorsepaw was really sick, and with the low supplies of leaf-bare, Ferntail and Rainpool had trouble healing him.

Lumbering like a badger through the snow, Jaypaw cursed as she padded around, scenting nothing for the hundredth time in the day. She knew she had little chance to find anything in this snow, but she desperately wanted to prove Redwing she could hunt no matter the weather.

Suddenly, she spotted a small trail in the snow, veering off sideways in front of her. Eyes sparkling at the prospect of maybe finding a little mouse or shrew, Jaypaw half slid, half trotted through the snow which was arriving up to her belly fur. But the trail ended abruptly at the base of the tree, and Jaypaw heard and saw nothing indicating the presence of a little animal.

 _Must have been a squirrel,_ she thought as her tail hung low, deceived by the false hope. _It probably took shelter in the tree, and decided not to come out. Well, I can't say it's stupid: I would rather spend time at camp than freezing here._

Sighing in annoyance, the blue-grey she-cat sat down, and watched the cloudy sky for a moment, lost in her thoughts.

She had met with Blizzardstorm every two nights, and both of them had enjoyed each other's company very much. They had hoped to continue seeing each other despite the snow, but it had become impossible to go out of camp unnoticed, as both of them let distinct traces of their paws in the white substance. They had abandoned seeing each other since just before the Gathering was cancelled, hoping to meet then, but unluckily, the Gathering hadn't happened and it was now more than a half moon since they had seen each other.

On top of that, Jaypaw was more and more concerned about the prophecy, which came to her mind whenever she wasn't thinking about the handsome ShadowClan tom.

 _Ferntail knows about the prophecy, and I should tell him what I discovered,_ thought Jaypaw. _But... It doesn't feel right. Fallingsnow told me I had to unravel it all alone, and tell no one. But why? Should I really trust her?_

The gorgeous white she-cat had visited Jaypaw only once since the last Gathering, and had told her nothing interesting other than that they would see each other again only when Jaypaw would receive her full power. Jaypaw wondered why Fallingsnow didn't help her more, if she badly wanted her to save the Clans from Pinefur and Streamfrost. But the blue-grey she-cat just trusted the older cat, and didn't dare question her methods.

 _Fallingsnow knows what she's doing, and I'm sure it's for the good of the Clans,_ thought the ThunderClan apprentice, shivering from the cold. _But why doesn't she want me to tell Redwing? Pinefur wants to kill her! If I don't find his plans soon, there might be a chance for Redwing to die..._

A small noise caught Jaypaw's attention, and she snapped out of her thoughts as she noticed a scrawny mouse carefully picking its way through the snow. It was so tiny that it was deep in the snow, and couldn't notice Jaypaw approaching it. The snow made it nearly impossible for the brown animal to escape, and Jaypaw killed it with a swift bite on the neck, before it could even let out a cry of fear.

 _I caught something!_ thought Jaypaw jubilantly, depositing her prey in front of her to examine it. But she was disappointed as she noticed how scrawny and little it looked.

 _It's barely even a meal,_ she thought, shoulders down. _This mouse will feed less than one cat._

 _But at least it's something!_ argued her conscience.

 _I guess so..._

The sun wasn't yet down, but Jaypaw knew she would find nothing else in that weather. Prey was too wary of the snow, and the mouse she had caught had probably been a young one who didn't know about life.

As she padded back to camp with the mouse in her jaws, Jaypaw's thoughts converged back to Pinefur.

 _He_ has _seemed troubled lately. I wonder if he's found a plan to kill Redwing? Probably not yet,_ thought Jaypaw. _He can't really kill her in that weather, it will seem too obvious, and there will be traces of blood in the snow. Furthermore, the Clan is in camp mostly, and it will seem suspicious if he returns saying Redwing is dead, since_ _there's no way she could have died. He can't even make it seem like she drowned, because all the streams are frozen, and Redwing's not stupid._

 _Anyways, he will probably try to kill her when the snow melts completely, which means in about a half moon,_ noted Jaypaw. _And since the next Gathering is in a half moon, he will do it right after that, and by then, I'll be twelve moons old!_

Smiling in content at her logical thinking, Jaypaw padded back to camp and placed her mouse on the fresh-kill pile, frowning as she only saw a vole and a squirrel next to it.

 _The Clan will starve at this rate,_ she thought as she padded inside the apprentices' den, relaxing at the sudden warmth. _If we don't find more prey..._

"Hi Jaypaw!"

The blue-grey she-cat purred as Breezepaw called out her name, her one good eye sparkling with warmth.

"How did the hunting go?" asked the black she-cat.

"Not well," sighed Jaypaw as she curled near her sister, warming herself in the process. "I only caught a mouse, and very scrawny. I don't even think it will be enough for one of the younger apprentices."

"Well, at least you caught something," meowed Breezepaw, echoing Jaypaw's thoughts from a while ago.

Breezepaw had stayed at camp because of a small injury she had gotten while running into a tree during a blizzard two days ago. Her head had been hit, and she was a little dizzy when walking, so Ferntail had asked her to skip training during three days.

"Are you better?" asked Jaypaw, looking at the slight bump on her sister's head.

"Yep, I'm fine now," meowed Breezepaw, pressing her paw to her head in order to feel the bump. "I still felt dizzy this morning, but now I can walk properly. It's nothing, really."

"That's good," replied Jaypaw. Silence settled between the two sisters, and Jaypaw's mind drifted to, not the prophecy this time, but Blizzardstorm.

 _I wonder if he longs to see me like I do him,_ she thought, closing her eyes to picture his face more clearly. _I miss him so much already, and it's been only half a moon..._

Part of her knew that what she did was wrong, and broke the code, but the other part didn't care a single bit. She wanted, no, she _needed_ to see Blizzardstorm, and she knew that her heart would break if she had to stop.

They had grown closer and closer to each other over the days, but neither of them had said that they _loved_ each other yet. But Jaypaw knew he loved her, because she could see in his eyes what was in hers, and _she_ was definitely in love with him.

The blue-grey she-cat nearly choked a laugh as she thought about their first encounter, when she had thought he was only playing with her.

 _He really meant it,_ she thought, as she remembered Blizzardstorm's face when she had left him alone on the border, all those moons ago. _He really wanted to see me just to see me, and I understand how that feels now._ I _want to see him just to see him, right now if I could. But I can't._

Jaypaw escaped a sigh, and padded out of the apprentices' den to see if Redwing had come back yet. Scanning the camp, she saw no one outside, and decided to go and find her mentor. It was getting late, and Jaypaw didn't want Redwing to be alone in this huge amount of snow, even if she knew that her mentor was perfectly capable to manage alone. Stubbornly, the blue-grey she-cat bid farewell to her sister, and peeked inside the warriors' den, quickly asking Thornfang if Redwing had come back yet.

A negative answer sent her out of the territory, and Jaypaw padded towards where she had last seen Redwing. Catching a slight scent in all the snow, she followed it, and suddenly stopped as she caught a second scent, fresher than Redwing's. The blue-grey she-cat's eyes widened as she recognised it, and started panicking.

 _Pinefur!_ she thought as she quickened her pace. _What's he doing here, following Redwing? He's not going to kill her now, does he? I have to save her!_

Jaypaw's pace became a run as she covered the distance quickly, and finally halted as she heard voices.

 _Is it Redwing and Pinefur?_ she thought as she silently creeped towards the sounds. _If it's them, it means she isn't dead yet, that's good._

Jaypaw sighed in relief as the noises got clearer, and she distinctly heard Redwing's voice, even if she couldn't really make out the words. Suddenly, her mentor let out a cry of surprise and pain, and adrenaline rushed through Jaypaw as she leaped towards her mentor in order to help her.

 _Pinefur's attacking her! I knew it!_ she thought as she quickly closed the gap between her and the ThunderClan warriors. But she stopped abruptly as she came face to face with Redwing's red face, which actually didn't look bad, but puzzled.

"Jaypaw! What are you doing here?" meowed her mentor as the blue-grey she-cat stumbled backwards in shock. Redwing looked completely fine, and Pinefur was sitting a few tail lengths behind her, a rabbit in his jaws.

"But—but—the...Pi—"

"Oh, come on, Jaypaw, what's the matter with you?" meowed Redwing, seemingly annoyed about her apprentice's weird attitude.

"Sorry," apologised Jaypaw, as her gaze drifted towards Pinefur who was watching her with an unreadable expression. "I was walking by and thought I heard you cry in pain, so I ran to help..."

"Oh," laughed Redwing, but her eyes were a little skeptical. "I just stepped on a thorn, that's it."

"Umhm," nodded Jaypaw, feeling that Redwing was hiding something, but the blood on her mentor's paw confirmed Redwing's statement. Pinefur had narrowed his eyes, and Jaypaw thought for the first time how weird it was he had managed to catch a rabbit in this snow.

Redwing noticed Jaypaw's gaze drift to the white animal, and changed the conversation to ease the atmosphere. "Pinefur found it by the Fourtrees border," she meowed joyfully. "It must have strayed away from WindClan territory."

"That's good!" exclaimed Jaypaw, trying to appear as normal as possible when in fact her head was buzzing with puzzlement and questions. "It will feed at least two cats..."

"And what have you managed to catch?" asked Redwing, still staring at Jaypaw, whose tail was wriggling in discomfort. "I thought I asked you to hunt until sundown."

"I caught a mouse, and went back to camp because I couldn't find anything else," admitted Jaypaw, shuffling her paws.

Redwing narrowed her eyes, as if hesitating to trust her apprentice, but finally nodded and turned towards Pinefur.

"You can go back to camp, we'll follow you shortly after," she meowed to the brown tom, who nodded curtly and flipped around with his rabbit, disappearing almost instantly.

Redwing then turned towards Jaypaw.

"What's up with you?" she meowed, her voice holding a trace of anger. "You come running straight towards me, as if I was fighting someone, and then you stammer and lie to me about catching a mouse?"

A wave of shock crashed upon Jaypaw at her mentor's words, which then turned to anger.

 _I didn't lie! I really caught the mouse!_ she thought, fury boiling inside her. _And_ she's _weird too! How come she's there with Pinefur, when we were supposed to hunt alone and meet back at camp by sundown? And why do I feel like she's hiding things from me?!_

"Answer me," meowed Redwing, narrowing her blazing green eyes.

"I didn't lie!" cried the blue-grey she-cat. "I really caught that mouse, and Breezepaw can confirm it!"

"Nevermind," growled Redwing, clearly bothered by something.

 _She wouldn't have acted like that if everything was fine,_ thought Jaypaw. _She wouldn't have scolded me, and wouldn't have admitted she was wrong in normal times. What happened while I was out hunting to make her be like that?_

"Come, we're going back to camp," she meowed briskly, and both she-cats quickened their paces so as not to get caught in a blizzard that was threatening to arrive.

Jaypaw padded in silence next to her mentor, and sighed as she noticed the red she-cat stare straight towards her, clearly not wanting to talk or even acknowledge the presence of her apprentice.

 _Something's off..._ thought the blue-grey she-cat. _I wonder what..._

...

A few days had passed, and the snow had started to melt, though it was still freezing cold. Gorsepaw wasn't any better, but he wasn't worse either, and neither were the other two sick cats. Redwing hadn't talked to Jaypaw for the rest of the day during which she had thought Pinefur was attacking her, and now was as normal as always, as if nothing had happened between them.

Jaypaw still wondered what had bothered Redwing that day, but it didn't seem so important now that the deputy was as she had been before. But the blue-grey she-cat was feeling especially happy, because Redwing had told her Breezepaw and her would go to the Moonstone in three sunrises, when the snow would have melted nearly completely.

And that meant that she had nearly finished her training! In less than a moon, she would be a warrior!

 _I hope it's before the next Gathering,_ thought Jaypaw as she paced near the entrance of the camp, where Redwing had told her to wait before they would set out to practice fighting. _Like this, Sorrelstar will announce it to everyone, and I won't have to wait another moon!_

On top of that, Breezepaw had told her that Cloudberry thought she was skilled enough to become a warrior at the same time as Jaypaw, which Jaypaw thought was great because they would get to share this moment together.

 _She got two moons of training less than me, but she's still as skilled,_ thought the apprentice as she waited for Redwing. _My sister's the best._

Not even a spark of jealousy went through Jaypaw as she thought of her sister, and instead, she felt warmth flow through her body, heating it despite the cold.

 _I don't regret our bond,_ she thought. _I don't regret it at all._

...

"Come on, Jaypaw, Breezepaw, hurry up! We'll be late if we don't go now."

Jaypaw gulped down the travelling herbs, making grimaces as the taste overwhelmed her.

 _They really are disgusting,_ she thought as she nearly choked, Breezepaw looking at her with a funny face too. Both sisters swiped their tongue over their muzzle and Jaypaw even had the 'wonderful' idea to lap at a small amount of snow which was situated at her right to make the horrible taste go away, and they followed their mentors out of camp.

"Yuck," hissed Breezepaw, who hadn't had the idea to drink in order to attenuate the taste. "These herbs are awful!"

Jaypaw nodded in agreement, but Cloudberry sent her apprentice a stern look.

"Would you have preferred not eating them at all, resulting in being hungry during the journey to the Moonstone?" meowed Cloudberry, padding beside Breezepaw while Redwing was taking the lead.

Breezepaw shook her head, but Jaypaw chuckled as Breezepaw sent her a look that implied, _yeah, definitely!_

But Jaypaw wasn't so sure about that.

 _I'd prefer eating those awful herbs rather than starving,_ she thought as the patrol arrived near Fourtrees. _And it's leaf-bare, so we don't have much food to eat already. But the weather's getting better now that the worst's gone. Though it's still very very cold... Thank StarClan I have thick fur!_

Suddenly, Redwing halted.

"We're going to cross through WindClan territory," she meowed as Cloudberry, Jaypaw and Breezepaw stopped heartbeats later. "Normally, they won't attack us, but just in case, I want all of you to try not to be spotted. If they decide to attack us, then we won't fight back: we're going straight back to ThunderClan territory. Am I understood?"

Jaypaw and Breezepaw nodded, though Jaypaw wondered why they shouldn't fight back. It was their right to go to the Moonstone, and WindClan shouldn't prevent them from doing that!

 _But I'm sure it'll be fine,_ she thought to reassure herself. _They have no interest in fighting ThunderClan: it would only result to more problems._

"Let's go then," meowed the ThunderClan deputy, and the patrol crossed the Fourtrees border to WindClan territory.

Jaypaw followed her mentor on the open moor, with Breezepaw at her side and Cloudberry closing the rear. For quite a long while, they heard nothing and were able to trek peacefully on the moor, when Cloudberry perked her ears.

"Shhh, I hear something," she hissed, and Redwing pushed Breezepaw and Jaypaw behind her, muffling their squeaks of protest with her tail.

"It's a WindClan patrol. Three cats, by the scent of it," whispered Redwing. "I don't think they've noticed us, yet."

"They will," meowed Cloudberry, "and we won't be able to hide. I say we tell them and don't try to run away. They'll understand."

Redwing nodded, but a thoughtful look still lingered in her gaze.

 _What's she thinking about?_ thought Jaypaw as the WindClan scent grew stronger and stronger. _I wish I could read her thoughts..._

The blue-grey she-cat squinted her eyes, and sure enough, a WindClan patrol was approaching rapidly towards them, a brown tabby tom in its lead.

"Greetings, Redwing," he meowed, his voice not at all aggressive. "What are you doing on WindClan territory with a warrior and two apprentices?"

Jaypaw let her shoulders relax, and Breezepaw sighed in relief as they noticed that the patrol had no intention to hurt them. Beside the brown tabby, whom Jaypaw recognised as Runningstorm, a well respected WindClan warrior, was a black and white she-cat named Birdfeather and Sparrowflight, who had been named a warrior last Gathering.

"Greetings, Runningstorm," replied the red ThunderClan deputy, dipping her head in acknowledgement. "We were travelling to the Moonstone, as these two," she pointed to Jaypaw and Breezepaw with her tail, "are going to become warriors very soon."

"I see," replied the WindClan tom, eyes kind. "Well, we won't make you wait any longer then. Have a safe journey."

"Thank you," meowed Redwing, her face deprived of any emotion. Sometimes, Jaypaw wondered how her mentor could hide her emotions so well. She definitely couldn't, but if would be a great asset in the future...

Cloudberry dipped her head to the WindClan cats, her gaze warming as she locked gazes with Birdfeather, and the ThunderClan cats waved their tails in farewell as they departed towards the direction of Highstones once more.

They crossed the Thunderpath without trouble, with no monster even appearing after they had crossed it, and arrived at Mothermouth as the first star appeared in the sky. Breezepaw had been a little scared to cross at first, but Redwing and Cloudberry had been calm about it, and it had helped the apprentices to cross it without fear. Redwing had even explained that there were few monsters during leaf-bare, because most of the Twolegs had gone away so as not to feel the cold. They usually came back in New-leaf.

 _It actually is logical,_ had thought Jaypaw when Redwing had told them that. _They have no fur!_

"We're there," murmured Breezepaw dreamily, looking at the wide gap of the cave which led to the Moonstone. "We're going to meet StarClan!" she added, bouncing up and down in joy.

But Jaypaw didn't share her enthusiasm. She had already dreamt of dead cats, even though she knew Fallingsnow walked in other skies than StarClan, and she was scared of finally meeting her ancestors.

 _Fallingsnow said they didn't know about my power...but surely they know about the prophecy!_ she thought as Redwing motioned them to follow her. _They were the ones who sent it to Ferntail anyways. What will they tell me? Will I see Nightstorm? Will she forgive me?_

But the questions which were bothering Jaypaw the most was these ones: _Does my connection with Fallingsnow still permits me to see StarClan? I am different... I have a power... So do I still have that link with StarClan that every cat has? Or am I destined to walk my path alone?_

Black engulfed Jaypaw as she followed the dark ginger deputy inside the cave, Breezepaw behind her. Cloudberry had chosen to stay outside and sit guard, while the three other cats went to the Moonstone. The darkness of the cave was eerie, and Jaypaw could feel her sister's uneasiness behind her, as the she-cats carefully padded straight towards them. But Redwing seemed to know the way well enough, and her calmness reassured the blue-grey she-cat, though she was more bothered with what she would dream of than the darkness surrounding her.

Finally, Jaypaw felt air rush around her, and Redwing stopped in front of her. The blue-grey she-cat let out a huff as Breezepaw collided with her, but it hadn't hurt at all.

"We're there," came Redwing's voice out of the shadows.

"Really?" meowed Breezepaw, skeptical. "Where's the Moonstone?"

Jaypaw heard her mentor purr, and guessed that she had an amused look plastered on her face. But she knew that Breezepaw's question was genuine, and she wondered where the Moonstone was, too.

"You'll see," replied Redwing mysteriously.

Jaypaw couldn't see much better than in the tunnel, but with the air she could feel, and the colder atmosphere, she guessed that they weren't in a tunnel anymore, but more in a hollow, round cave.

 _But where does the air come from?_ she thought, trying to analyse her surroundings in vain. _And_ where _is the Moonstone?_

Less than a few heartbeats later, Jaypaw got her answer. A streak of light pierced through the top of the cave, where a small opening let the night air come through, and went to settle on a shiny white surface, illuminating it at once.

The Moonstone.

"Wow," breathed Breezepaw, eyes widening at the same time as Jaypaw's. "It's so beautiful..."

At her left, Redwing was purring, and Jaypaw felt a warm sensation tickle all the way from her head to her tail tip, entranced in the present scene. The Moonstone was glimmering very brightly, and light spread as the streak became wider, illuminating the whole cave. The brightness was nearly blinding, but Jaypaw didn't care. She felt like she could watch this all her life without tiring.

"Come on, the light will fade if we don't go now," meowed Redwing, beckoning the apprentices closer to the Moonstone.

Jaypaw approached the Moonstone as if it was welcoming her to touch its surface, and settled down beside Breezepaw, whose eyes were still wide with wonder.

The blue-grey she-cat touched her nose to the white, glimmering stone.

...

Jaypaw felt herself spin and spin in a seemingly never ending darkness, finally landing softly on a fluffy patch of what felt like grass. Quickly scrambling to her paws, she looked around to meet only darkness. Utter, black, darkness.

 _Where am I?_ she thought, trying to feel her way around with her paws. _Is this StarClan?_

The soft substance under her paws definitely felt like grass, but Jaypaw was blind in this blackness, and couldn't see anything more than her slightly bright muzzle. Further than that, nothing.

 _Why am I here?_ she thought, as dread settled inside her. _What is this place?_

Turning around frantically, Jaypaw called for someone, _anyone,_ but no response came. She was alone.

"Please!" she cried, moving around blindly, her paws meeting the same grass as she padded away from where she had landed. "Where am I?"

No sound answered her pleas, except for the occasional crunch of a dead leaf underneath her paws.

Jaypaw padded around a while more, when suddenly, a bird hooted from somewhere far, its cry echoing in the darkness. The blue-grey she-cat jumped in fright, and shivered as a second cry reached her ears. Then it was gone, and she was alone once more. Alone in this deadly darkness, waiting to engulf her in its shadows forever.

Miserably lying down on the grass, Jaypaw started whimpering, the deadly stillness of her environment making her shudder.

And it finished as quickly as it had started.

Jaypaw blinked open her eyes to find herself in the cave, where the moonlight pouring from the small gap was slowly dimming. Right beside her, Breezepaw woke up at the same moment, eyes focusing as she sat up, a content smile on her face.

Bewildered, Jaypaw just stared at the Moonstone, unable to speak.

 _What just happened?_

* * *

 **What exactly happened, do you think? Don't hesitate to share your opinion in a REVIEW!**

 **I won't be able to update during two weeks and maybe a little more, but Chapter 19 will probably be posted right after!**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **~Lightning**


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